Johnson County had its 17th consecutive day of double-digit increases in the number of new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, as the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 15 more residents had tested positive during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. That increase occurred despite the number of tests reported in the county reaching it lowest point for the week.
IDPH reported the results of 107 tests for Johnson County residents between 10 a.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. on Friday. For similar 24-hour periods this week, the number of tests reported was much higher. Monday’s total was 566, on Tuesday it was 256, Wednesday it was 507 and on Thursday it was 454.
For the state as a whole, IDPH reported the results of 4,545 COVID-19 tests for the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m, which falls with the normal range for the recent number of tests reported on one day.
According to the department, 389 of the Iowans tested were confirmed as having COVID-19, including 14 residents of Linn County. The new cases bring the state’s total to 30,355. IDPH also reported three more deaths from the virus. The state’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 720.
The statewide positivity rate — the percentage of people being tested who were confirmed as having COVID-19 — for the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. on Friday was 8.6 percent. In Linn County, the positivity rate was 4.5 percent. Johnson County had a positivity rate of 14 percent.
