More schools have been forced to close and move to remote learning due to surges in winter illnesses.
Keota Community School District in Keota, Iowa, announced that its elementary and junior/senior high schools would be closed Thursday due to ‘a high volume of illness among students and staff.’
The district, in the 900-person town of Keota, did not specify which illnesses were involved and how many students and staff may have become sick. The district has around 300 students split between the elementary and junior/senior high school.
However, the announcement comes amid a severe flu season, fueled largely by the H3N2 subclade K variant, nicknamed ‘super flu.’
The most recent CDC data, which run through January 17, shows this season’s flu has infected 15 million Americans, hospitalized 180,000 and killed 7,400. Those deaths include 44 children, 12 of whom died this past week.
Infections and hospitalizations have finally begun to wane after spiking around the holiday season, but CDC data shows flu activity is still ‘high’ in Iowa.
Nationwide, 18 percent of flu tests came back positive during the week of January 17, according to the CDC. But Iowa’s state data, for the same week, shows 29 percent of tests were positive. This is up five percent from the week before.
Influenza also made up 6.4 percent of emergency department visits during the week of January 17 compared to 4.4 percent nationwide.
Keota Jr-Sr High School in Keota, Iowa, is pictured above. The Keota Community School District moved to remove learning on Thursday, January 29, due to ‘a high volume of illness among students and staff’
The above graph shows test positivity in Iowa for Covid, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) over the past three virus seasons
CDC wastewater data also shows Covid activity is ‘very high’ in Iowa compared to ‘moderate’ activity nationwide. State figures show 7.7 percent of Covid tests for the week of January 17 came back positive, a 1.6 percent decrease from the week before.
Accounts for both the elementary and junior/senior high school posted on Facebook: ‘Due to a high volume of illness among students and staff, Keota Community School District will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, January 29, 2026. Thursday will be a Virtual School Day. Elementary students should complete Day #2 of their packets.
‘Jr.-Sr. High students should refer to their email and Google Classroom for activities and assignments.’
Last month, super flu forced several other schools to close and hospitals to impose Covid-era restrictions. Villa Duchesne Catholic School in St Louis, Missouri, shut down in mid December 2025 and canceled classes for multiple days for emergency flu testing and investigation.
Iowa’s Moulton-Udell school district also canceled classes and sports after nearly 30 percent of students and staff fell ill around the same time. Officials labeled the two-day shutdown a necessary response to an ‘extremely high’ rate of sickness.
Detroit Medical Center also restricted visitor access in December to protect patients and staff from the spreading virus. The updated guidelines limit guest numbers, visitors under 12 and anyone 13 and up who is currently sick.
The change came after masking requirements for hospital staff and visitors in New Jersey and New York hospitals were reinstated.
The above chart shows the number of positive flu tests in Iowa leading up to the week of January 17, 2026
The above map shows viral activity levels of the flu in each state as of January 17, 2026
Iowa’s data also shows four percent of students were absent during the week of January 17 due to illness, the highest percentage so far this season. However, this is slightly down from this time last year.
Emergency room visits for the flu accounted for 6.4 percent of visits, while three percent of inpatient visits were flu-related.
There have also been 54 influenza-associated deaths in Iowa so far this season, state mortality data shows. There have been no pediatric deaths reported so far.
Covid accounts for 1.7 percent of emergency room visits during the week of January 17 and 1.4 percent of inpatient visits statewide, both slight decreases from the week before.
Iowa has reported 55 Covid deaths so far this virus season.
