During another recording-setting day, in which the Iowa Department of Public Health reported another 482 Iowans had tested positive for COVID-19, Gov. Kim Reynolds focused on how to “reopen” the state at her press conference on Tuesday. “As Iowa and the nation prepare to reopen, the ability to conduct large-scale testing is critical to understand […]
Iowa Department of Public Health
Posted inCOVID-19
Pork plants and prisons are the new front line in Iowa’s COVID-19 fight
As outbreaks at Iowa’s meat processing plants continued to drive a surge in COVID-19 cases, and workers’ complain not enough is being done to protect them from the virus, Gov. Kim Reynolds said it is essential that those plants remain open. “This isn’t like a regular facility, where you shut it down for two weeks,” […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19 numbers surge in Iowa, and a prison inmate in Coralville becomes the first in the state to test positive
The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 389 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a total that eclipsed the previous one-day record for reported cases of 191 set on Friday. Those new cases bring to the state’s total of confirmed cases to 2,902. Sunday’s newly reported cases include 65 residents of Linn County and 29 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Another meat processing plant reports cases of COVID-19, as Iowa’s total number of cases reaches 2,513
For the second day in a row, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced almost 200 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. On Friday, IDPH reported 191 new cases. On Saturday, it confirmed another 181 Iowans had tested positive, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Iowa to 2,513. Cases of COVID-19 were reported […]
Posted inCommunity/News
From Tyson plant outbreaks to ‘economic recovery’ plans, Reynolds and her COVID-19 team are collaborating with industry higher-ups, not workers
Iowa set another one-day record for the number of reported COVID-19 cases on Friday, as outbreaks at meat processing plants helped drive the total number of new cases to 191. On Thursday, Gov. Reynolds said the state was sending an additional 1,500 additional test kits to Louisa County, where the Tyson pork processing plant in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
As the district containing Linn County hits 10 points, Reynolds orders new restrictions but not the shelter-in-place promised
When Gov. Reynolds revealed the assessment system the Iowa Department Public Health was using to determine the severity of COVID-19 in the state, it was explained that if any of the six regions they’d created was rated a 10 or higher, the governor would issue a shelter-in-place order for that region. On Thursday, IDPH rated […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Reynolds addresses racial discrepancies in COVID-19 cases, plans to increase testing
New information provided on the state’s revamped COVID-19 website, launched on Tuesday, revealed that black and Latino Iowans are testing positive for the virus at disproportionate rates. At her press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Reynolds was asked, “What are you doing to address that?” “We’re still looking at the trends,” Reynolds replied. She added, “I […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Outbreak at meat processing plant drives biggest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases; Reynolds says there’s no need for new regulations on plant safety
An outbreak of COVID-19 at the Tyson pork processing plant in Columbus Junction pushed the number of new confirmed cases of the virus to 189 on Tuesday, a new one-day record. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, a total of 1,899 Iowans have tested positive for the virus since March 8. IDPH also […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘We’ve been very transparent’ about COVID-19 in Iowa, Reynolds claims, but data is still elusive
Six days after signing a contract with the University of Iowa College of Public Health to have its experts create models of the spread and severity of COVID-19 in the state, the Iowa Department of Public Health still hasn’t provided the data UI epidemiologists need for those models. “We are just getting ready to provide […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa is now working to predict the spread of COVID-19, but state officials will control what information the public sees
A month after the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the state, the Iowa Department of Public Health agreed to provide the University of Iowa College of Public Health with the data necessary to develop models to predict the spread and severity of COVID-19 in Iowa, as well as the likely number of deaths […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Linn County has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the state, as Iowa’s total of confirmed cases approaches 1,600
The Iowa Department of Public Health said on Sunday that seven more Iowans have died from COVID-19, one of the largest daily totals the department has reported since the state’s first death from the virus was reported on March 24. One of the deceased was from Washington County, and over the age of 80. The […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa braces for PPE shortage, but officials say the curve is flattening
The Iowa Department of Public Health issued an personal protective equipment (PPE) order on Friday to address current and anticipated shortages of the urgently needed supplies. The order calls for health care providers to minimize patient contact when possible, shorten the stay of COVID-19 patients in hospitals where PPE is in short supply and reuse […]
