The state of Iowa awarded contracts worth millions of dollars for personal protective equipment (PPE) to a Des Moines company best known for providing campaign signs to Republican candidates, the Associated Press’s Ryan J. Foley reported on Saturday. “In three contracts worth $7.2 million, the state agreed to purchase 1 million isolation gowns and 100,000 […]
Test Iowa
Posted inCommunity/News
‘It has been three weeks,’ Gov. Reynolds defends Test Iowa’s performance, announces its tests have now been validated
The State Hygienic Laboratory has finished its validation of Test Iowa’s equipment, Gov. Reynolds announced at her press conference on Thursday. According to the governor, the Test Iowa processing equipment were 95 percent accurate when determining if a sample was positive, and 99.7 accurate when determining if a sample was negative. As part of the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Ten percent of Linn County’s Test Iowa tests are ‘inconclusive’
A total of 334 tests were conducted at Linn County’s Test Iowa site in the first four days it was operational, but at least 10 percent of those tests are inconclusive, county officials said at Wednesday’s Linn County Board of Supervisors meeting. The site in Linn County isn’t the only Test Iowa location where there […]
Posted inCommunity/News
After COVID-19 exposure, Reynolds plans to partially self-isolate, continue relaxing restrictions in Iowa
“I want to assure Iowans that I’m healthy and feeling good, and I’m fully focused on leading Iowa’s response to the pandemic on our economic recovery efforts,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said at her press conference on Monday. That assurance came after it was reported Reynolds’ was in contact with an aide to Vice President Pence […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Report: Some Test Iowa kits were damaged and cannot be processed
An unknown number of Test Iowa test kits cannot be processed because they were damaged, Barbara Rodriguez of the Des Moines Register reported on Thursday. According to a spokesperson for Gov. Kim Reynolds, only a “very small percentage” of test kits were affected. “A very small percentage of individuals are going to receive a direct […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Businesses are faced with a tough decision as restrictions are relaxed in Linn County
After Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signed her most recent public health proclamation on Wednesday, certain Linn County businesses are faced with the decision on whether or not to reopen. As part of the proclamation, tanning salons, medical spas, campgrounds and drive-in movie theaters may reopen statewide. Dental procedures can resume, and golf course clubhouses can reopen […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Test Iowa site opening in Cedar Rapids on Thursday
Test Iowa is coming to Cedar Rapids earlier than expected. Originally, a soft opening was planned for May 11 and May 12, with full operations following that, but the timeline has been moved up. Test Iowa’s Cedar Rapids location will instead have a soft opening on Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8. The site […]
Posted inCommunity/News
As Test Iowa finishes its first week, the state is still trying to determine if its tests are accurate
One day before COVID-19 restrictions will be relaxed in 77 of Iowa’s 99 counties, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the state still hasn’t established whether the results from test kits used by Test Iowa are accurate. Reynolds, however, said she was sure the validation process, which is being conducted by the State Hygienic Laboratory at the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Test Iowa site scheduled to open in Cedar Rapids in May
A Test Iowa site will be set up in Cedar Rapids in about two weeks, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said during Tuesday’s Cedar Rapids City Council meeting. The site will be at Kirkwood’s Continuing Education Training Center, 101 50th Ave SW. Linn County Emergency Management determined that this is the best location for the test […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Reynolds takes ‘first step’ to reopening Iowa, as the state sets new one-day records for COVID-19 cases, deaths
On the same day the Iowa Department of Public Health reported one-day records for both new COVID-19 cases and deaths caused by the virus, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation she called the “first step” in “reopening Iowa.” Relaxing restrictions “Today I’m announcing that, effective Monday, Iowa health systems, health care providers may begin the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Tyson finally closes Waterloo plant, while Reynolds fields questions about the no-bid contract behind Test Iowa
Gov. Kim Reynolds struck a very optimistic note near the end of her press conference on Wednesday. “Every day we’re making significant advances in addressing COVID-19 to the point where we’re going to start talking about how we can open things up in this state, based on what we’ve been able to do and based […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Focused on reopening the state, Reynolds appeals to Iowa celebrities, public to take the ‘#TestIowaChallenge’
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 […]
