Hunter
11/08/20
The coronavirus pandemic has hit Iowa to the point where all 99 counties have a 14-day rolling positivity rate at the level deemed moderate, as the state has suffered a 50 percent increase in cases in less than a month.
Iowa Department of Public Health statistics released Sunday showed every county at or above the ten percent threshold, which the Centers for Disease Control say show a moderate risk of transmission. Over half are at or above the 20 percent rate, and adding in counties at or above 15 percent, the virus is prevalent in 81 of Iowa’s 99 counties.
Johnson County is at 13.6 percent rolling average, while Linn is at 20.7 percent. Jones County has a 14-day rolling average of 41.8 percent.
School districts whose county positivity rate is above 15% and has a student absentee rate of ten percent or higher can apply with the state for a waiver of in-person learning, and those with 20% don’t have to meet any absentee rate.
Public Health announced another 4213 cases of COVID-19 cases and 13 additional deaths, bringing the respective totals to 152,604 and 1842 Sunday. Nearly 1000 Iowans are being treated for coronavirus in hospitals, a net increase of 91 from the day before.
The state has so far declined to follow the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s recommendation that action is needed to bring the widespread transmission of COVID-19 under control. Governor Kim Reynolds recently announced the launch of a media campaign to bring awareness and encourage mitigation efforts that is due to start today.