The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Thursday they will end the mandatory reporting of COVID-19 cases in the state at the end of next month. Since March 2020, any positive test processed in a clinical lab was required to be reported to the state Public Health Division and then on to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Starting April 1, Iowa’s COVID-19 dashboard will be replaced with a new COVID section in the state’s weekly respiratory virus surveillance data. State health officials cite the prevalence of rapid in-home tests as the primary reason for the change. Iowa Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse says, “It’s important for Iowans to know that the Public Health Division will monitor the virus, just as we do for other respiratory illnesses. The Public Health Division will continue to work collaboratively with our local health departments, healthcare partners in the state, and partners at the federal level.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced earlier this month that they plan for the federal Public Health Emergency, which has been in place since January 2020, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023.
