(Johnston)– An additional 467 cases of COVID-19 are being reported today (Wed.) in Iowa, bringing the total number of cases so far in the state to 6,843.
The Department of Public Health reported 12 more deaths.
The agency reports 1,047 negative tests were reported for a total of 34,494. The department says 2,428 Iowans have recovered from the virus, for a recovery rate of 35 percent.
During her press conference today (Wed.), Governor Kim Reynolds defended her decision to begin reopening businesses and restaurants in 77 counties in light of a report from the University of Iowa that recommended waiting another two weeks to do that to help limit the number of deaths. The Governor says she actually made her decision after consulting with specialists from the same university who said it would be safe for hospitals to once again start offering selective surgeries…
“I didn’t just rip the bandaid off or flip the light switch. We’re doing it in a reasonable, phased-in approach. We’ll continue to look at the data and we’ll continue to work with Iowans and I believe in Iowans and I know they will do the responsible thing. So if they’re sick they’re going to stay home. If you’re a vulnerable Iowan, you have underlying conditions, nothing has changed. You should continue to stay at home as much as possible; take all precautions when you leave the house, social distance, wear a face covering and really be aware of what your surroundings are. So I think we’ve moved forward in a reasonable manner to start to open Iowa up which is something that we need to do.”
The Governor added she and health officials are very closely monitoring the Sioux City metro area where COVID-19 cases are exploding. More than 700 cases are being reported in Woodbury county.
