Hunter
05/04/20
Positive confirmed cases of coronavirus have now topped 9700 in Iowa as the death toll reached 188, according to a Monday announcement from the Department of Public Health.
524 new cases were announced, putting the total at 9703 since the pandemic reached the state about eight weeks ago. The recovery rate, however, is inching up, nearly hitting 36 percent.
The two counties hardest hit by the virus are the ones that have had meat packing plants temporarily shut down due to outbreaks there; Blackhawk County has 1361 confirmed cases, while Woodbury County is at 1152 cases.
Linn County has 757 cases and 47 deaths attributed to the coronavirus; Johnson is now at 505 cases and six deaths.
Accura HealthCare, in Marshalltown, was added to the list of long-term care facilities with outbreaks. The total is now 28.
389 Iowans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
Limited reopening of the state began May 1st, against the recommendations of a University of Iowa study that said officials should have waited at least until the 15th. Governor Kim Reynolds cited a University of Washington study that indicated that Iowa was already past its peak, but that study was predicated on all previous restrictions remaining in place until the middle of June.
