Additional Cases Announced in Iowa

On March 9, Governor Reynolds announced that a total of 8 presumptively positive cases in Iowa have been identified.  All are recovering at home in isolation.  Seven cases are in Johnson County, and all the Johnson County cases involve individuals who went on the same cruise to Egypt.  The eighth individual is in Pottawatomie County, recently traveled to California, and was tested in Nebraska.  A status report of monitoring and testing of COVID-19 in Iowa provided by IDPH can be found here. 

Additionally, the Governor signed a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency, activating the disaster response and recovery aspects of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s Iowa Emergency Response Plan. The proclamation is a procedural step which authorizes state agencies to utilize resources including personnel, equipment and facilities to perform activities necessary to prevent, contain and mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 virus. 

LAI and other health care associations are meeting with the Governor’s office on the afternoon of March 10 to discuss COVID-19 and preparedness issues here in Iowa.