Comment on Iowa’s COVID-19 death toll surges to over 4,900

Iowa’s COVID-19 death toll took its bleakest leap ever Sunday when public health officials reported they confirmed another 250 deaths from the disease — bringing the state’s total so far to 4,901.Data released Sunday morning does not show over what length of time the newly confirmed COVID-19 deaths occurred, but the Associated Press reported the deaths included many from December and January.Yet the new addition by itself is more than the total number of COVID-19 deaths recorded in Iowa in six of the roughly 10 months since the first one was reported here.In fact, more than half of the 4,901 people known to have died in Iowa as a result of the disease since the first death was recorded March 24, 2020, were reported in December and January alone, reflecting a dramatic escalation in fatal cases in just a short time.On Dec.