When COVID-19 first took root in the United States, Iowa City resident Nora Boerner joined many nationwide in staying home as much as possible to keep her husband and four children safe. However, these precautions weren’t enough to prevent her from contracting the disease in mid-April. “Because of when I got sick and the journey […]
Iowa Department of Public Health
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Department of Public Health has been misreporting COVID-19 data for months
The Iowa Department of Public Health has been misreporting COVID-19 test data for months due to a problem in its data management system. The error in the system has caused thousands of positive test results to be incorrectly backdated and reported as happening months earlier, according to a review of data published by IDPH. This […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19: Cases increase at Eldora state school; another 452 Iowans test positive
The number of COVID-19 cases at the Boys State Training School in Eldora more than doubled during two weeks between July 28 and Aug. 11, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. On July 28, the school was reporting 23 students and staff members had tested positive for the virus. On Tuesday, the Iowa Department of Human […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds: School district ‘did exactly what they needed to do’ by moving first-grade class online after positive COVID-19 test
Gov. Kim Reynolds had planned to have the superintendent of the Indianola Community School District speak at her press conference on Tuesday, so he could explain what the district has done since its Irving Elementary School confirmed a case of COVID-19 four days after starting classes, but postponed the superintendent’s appearance to have more time […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa has the highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita in the Midwest
Five months after the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the state, Iowa has the highest number of cases per capita of any Midwestern state, according to data compiled by the CDC. Ohio, where the first cases of the virus were confirmed one day after Iowa’s first cases, has the lowest number per capita […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19: School districts push back against Gov. Reynolds’ reopening plans; three more deaths reported in Johnson County
Saturday, Aug. 8 marks five months since the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Iowa, and on Friday Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office published an open letter from the governor about the pandemic, in which she said “we’re all working toward the same goal.” “Now is not the time to let our guard down,” Reynolds […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids nursing home has a second outbreak of COVID-19, as 588 more Iowans test positive
Cottage Grove Place in Cedar Rapids has been added to the Iowa Department of Public Health list of long-term care facilities with COVID-19 outbreaks. According to IDPH, six people at Cottage Grove have tested positive for the virus, one of whom is considered recovered. IDPH does not distinguish between residents and staff when reporting the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
State denies Iowa City school district’s request to start all classes online; Iowa’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 900
On Thursday, the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) rejected a request from the Iowa City Community School District to allow its schools to start the new school year with two weeks of all online instruction. In its application, ICCSD said it was concerned about the health and safety of students and staff if it began […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19: Johnson County Board of Health approves a mask mandate; 510 more Iowans test positive
The Johnson County Board of Health unanimously approved an ordinance mandating the use of face coverings in public spaces during its special meeting on Tuesday. The ordinance has been forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for approval at their meeting on Thursday. Although Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Attorney Tom Miller have asserted that local […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Reynolds warns schools not to switch to all online classes without permission, criticizes COVID-19 ‘scare tactics’ used by media
“I want to be very clear,” Gov. Kim Reynolds near the beginning of her press conference on Tuesday. “Schools that choose not to return to school for at least 50 percent in-person instruction are not defying me, they’re defying the law.” The governor said that if a school moved to all online instruction without first […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19: Doctors rally to ask Gov. Reynolds for a mask mandate; experts warn about school reopenings
Doctors from across the state gathered on the steps of Iowa State Capitol on Saturday to call on Gov. Kim Reynolds to issue a statewide face covering mandate or allow local governments to issue mandates in their communities to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. “Our message is clear,” Dr. Brian Privett, an ophthalmologist in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19: Another 463 Iowans test positive; Minnesota school districts will be able to choose how to reopen
On Thursday, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the standards that will determine whether schools must have all in-person instruction, can use a hybrid model incorporating both in-person and online instruction, or move all classes online. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former school teacher, announced his state’s school reopening plan that same day. The two states are […]
