New COVID deaths, while still relatively high, are lower now than at the beginning stages of the pandemic.
And this is just one of several metrics to look at.
Family physician Dr. Sujan Gogu points to the secondary impacts of the virus.
"It's the whole concept of the 'long-haulers' that we do see, where people have 'brain fog', people have fatigue, people just are not feeling the way they normally do."
Iowa is one of three states with a positivity rate above 50%.
That measurement shows how many tests come back positive.
The Hawkeye State has seen nearly a two-fold increase in cases and hospitalizations in the past two weeks.
And COVID has claimed over 2,000 lives there.
