This weekend, Iowa reported a significant increase in COVID-19 cases, putting the state at 9,169, something Gov. Kim Reynolds has warned people about in the past few days.
From Thursday to Friday, the total number reported Saturday increased by 757. From Friday to Saturday the number went up again by 528. Over those two days, the state’s total increased by 1,285.
The numbers reported online by the Iowa Department of Public Health are behind one day, so these numbers don’t account for tests done on Saturday.
Some of the total is a result of increased surveillance testing in the state, finding more people who have mild or no symptoms, in part at large workplaces and nursing homes that experienced outbreaks.
This past week, the state tested thousands more Iowans as part of the new Test Iowa program which Reynolds said will eventually allow the state to test at least 3,000 Iowans a day, though it isn’t there yet.
By 11 a.m. Monday, 38,150 total Iowans had been tested since the first three cases were reported on March 8. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, the number was at 53,186, showing an increase of at least 15,036 in a week.
However, tests are still limited to high-risk populations like health care workers, meatpacking employees and their family members, and both residents and employees at long-term care facilities. The new Test Iowa sites have also only been set up in Des Moines and Waterloo so far, though that’s expected to expand.
Over the week, reports of delayed results and questions about the validity of the tests were repeatedly raised at the governor’s press conferences.
Reynolds said the state hygienic lab in Coralville was aware of the backlog and was making adjustments to handle the influx in testing data. She said the backlog will be caught up this weekend.
“I want to assure Iowans that this is a short-term issue while the lab is transitioning to accommodate not only a higher volume of tests on an ongoing basis but as they work through the validation of the Test Iowa process,” she said.
Because of the increased testing, Reynolds said the state will be able to better identify and isolate positive cases going forward. That’s her reasoning for easing economic restrictions in 77 counties in the state where virus outbreaks are less severe.
by Nikoel Hytrek
Posted 5/3/20
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3 Comments on "Iowa COVID-19 Cases Surge, Reopening Plans Go Forward"
The daily stats that are provided by Gov. Reynolds and Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) are not accurate because they underestimate the total number of patients who are positive for COVID-19. The stats we see today are not really from the past 24 hours because there is a delay in performing the lab tests at the State Hygienic Lab in Coralville supervised by doctors at U of Iowa. In April, the delay in testing was at least 3-5 days.
The first day that lab tests were available to detect COVID-19 was Feb. 27, 2020 and kits were supplied by CDC. There were many problems in performing lab tests due to shortage of nasal swabs, test tubes for transport of samples to lab, and reagents in lab to obtain final results. The lab personnel did the best that they could but they were slowed down by lack of supplies.
There were many sick people who did not go into clinics or Urgent Care Centers or ERs for diagnosis and treatment, and a certain % of them had COVID-19 but it could not be confirmed. These were mostly younger patients who had no insurance or no family doctor or who thought they could fight off the virus on their own.
With any lab test, there are “false negative” reports in which the disease is present, but test comes back negative due to poor collection of samples, damage to samples during transport or human error in the lab. These factors result in underestimation of actual infections.
Iowans should view these daily reports from Gov. and IDPH with a good dose of doubt and skepticism.
Politicians will try to spin the facts to cover up their mistakes and poor understanding of science.
Well, the Republicans are just as good as the Democrats as neither has a medical degree in this field. This shows how the media is bought and controlled by foreign interests and this animosity toward each only aids China’s plan of world dominance. The communistic and socialistic interests use the media to misrepresent, demean and embellish the truth since they are controlled by the “One World Order” that is trying to take down the only impedance to controlling all life for the cause the USA. History has proven the strongest economy wins the war and we being hamstrung by the media’s bought and paid for to accomplish this task. I am 70 and the flu may get me, COV19, or run over by a truck? So what, I have a strong faith in God and feel I will see those who share the same conviction in due time. I prayed to let me live till 60 to assure my children had a good start. Well, I am thankful for the extra ten. I know many don’t believe in a God or a soul but I keep it simple. I wonder what is probably of meeting another person in infinity? It is one in Infinity not happening unless we have a soul that lives forever that was created at birth spoken in the bible. The Alpha, Omega the beginning and the end. See you all in 100 years take care and God bless.
If they are limiting tests to such a small group of people, then there is no way that the numbers are close. Do they think that members of the general population are not getting infected with the COVID19 virus? Are they using these “official” numbers of counties “not hard hit” to decide to lift their restrictions?