The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reports the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state has grown to 12,912 with the confirmation of 539 positive tests as of Tuesday morning. Health officials also identified 18 additional coronavirus-related deaths, marking 289 deaths to date. Gov. Kim Reynolds noted nearly 60 percent of the new cases are linked to testing conducted for Iowans working at a Nebraska processing facility between April 28 and 30 that were only recently reported to the IDPH. Reynolds was expected to release details at Tuesday’s press conference on the expiration of more restrictions on May 15, but that announcement has been pushed to Wednesday to allow for further analysis. According to Reynolds, the original goal of the March orders to close restaurants, schools, fitness centers and other similar facilities was to flatten the curve and avoid overwhelming Iowa’s hospitals and clinics. As Iowa enters the second month of the declared public health emergency, Reynolds says that goal has been achieved; however, she wants decisions on reopening parts of the state to still be backed by data. As for case numbers in the listening area, Calhoun County has a single confirmed case, and Sac County stands at three. Carroll County remains at six cases, Audubon at 10, Greene at 13 and Guthrie County at 35. Crawford County has climbed to 197. For more information on COVID-19 in Iowa, follow the links included below.
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