Deaths reach three in the state with two Thursday night
BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR
DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been notified of 56 additional positive cases of Iowans with COVID-19, for a total of 235 positive cases. There have been a total of 3,740 negative tests to date, which includes testing reported by the State Hygienic Lab and other labs.
The Thursday positives from the state account for 28 different counties around Iowa. The state also saw two more deaths for a total of three to date as of Friday. The state on Friday had 970 tests available.
According to IDPH, two Iowans with COVID-19 passed away last night, one elderly adult (81+ years) from Poweshiek County and one older adult (61-80 years) from Allamakee County. This brings the total COVID-19 deaths in Iowa to three.
At Friday's press conference Gov. Kim Reynolds talked with emotion about getting the people of Iowa back to work. At one point the Governor spoke in a broken voice as she talked about the resiliency of the Iowa people. The Governor has been conducting press conferences via her Facebook page and YouTube three to four times per week to update Iowans on the state's activities and plans.
Several reporters pressed the issue of a shelter in place order, but Reynolds said the data doesn't support a shelter in place. She said that some hospitals are even asking her to not implement the order.
"We have to make sure we are taking every possible action to preserve PPE (personal protective equipment) and and we have all hands on deck to meet the needs of our health care providers and first responders," Reynolds said.
"I also have hospitals that have sent letters that don't want a shelter in place, saying that would only exacerbate what we are trying do. So there are people on both sides of the issue."
Reynolds said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo indicated this morning that he wished he hadn't issued the order.
Reynolds continues to hold the line that Iowans don't need an order to know what is right.
"I believe Iowans don't need an order. I believe they know what to do," she said.
"It's not consistent across the state, we have taken measures all along that are based on data the Department of Public Health has provided to me in coordination with CDC. And I will continue to operate in that manner so I'm not just reacting to things."
Dr. Ann Lebo, the state's new director of the Department of Education, said she has convened a continuous learning task force on Wednesday focusing on pathways to provide schools with resources for online and distance learning during the state's emergency and said guidance on that would be going out Friday.
According to IDPH, the locations and age ranges of the 56 individuals include:
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