Editor’s Note: Story has been updated to reflect two additional confirmed cases in Crawford County
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed 176 new COVID-19 cases as of Thursday morning, bringing the state’s total to 3,924. During her daily press conference, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced six additional deaths were recorded with 96 deaths to date. According to Reynolds, older and elderly adults account for 85 percent of the coronavirus-related fatalities. As of April 23, 84 of Iowa’s 99 counties have documented at least one confirmed infection with 11 of those counties comprising 81 percent of the state’s cases. Health officials have also identified Iowa’s 12th long-term care outbreak at a facility in Linn County. In the two days since Test Iowa’s launch, Iowans have submitted 121,000 screening surveys, and the first drive-thru testing center, which is set to open Saturday in Des Moines, is fully booked with appointments. Reynolds praised Iowans for their tremendous response to the initiative and encouraged everybody who has not completed one already to do so at www.testiowa.com. As for local numbers, Audubon, Carroll and Greene Counties have confirmed a single case each, all of which are considered recovered. Guthrie County stands at five cases, Crawford at eight and Shelby County at nine. For more information on COVID-19 in Iowa, follow the link included below.
_____
