First COVID-19 case confirmed in Floyd County

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County marked its first positive test for COVID-19 this week, according to Floyd County Public Health and Home Care.

Public Health Director Gail Arjes reported in a news release Wednesday afternoon that a case of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus had been confirmed.

“This is an older adult aged 61-80 years,” she reported, using the age ranges the state has been using to classify persons with the disease.

“While this is Floyd County’s first case, it may not be the last, and that’s why we encourage all residents to continue to make prevention a priority,” Arjes said.

As of Wednesday morning, Floyd County had remained one of only 13 counties in the state that had not yet reported a positive test result for COVID-19. All the counties surrounding Floyd County had previously reported positive cases.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, as of Wednesday there had been 117 negative tests for the disease in Floyd County.

Across Iowa as of Thursday there have been 7,145 total confirmed cases. Of those, 162 people have died and 2,697 were reported to have recovered. There have been 42,667 total people tested in the state.

Arjes reminded people to continue with preventative actions including:

• Washing hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds each time.

• Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow or upper arm.

• Staying home when ill.

Arjes said in the press release that about 80% of Iowans who have COVID-19 will experience only a mild to moderate illness.

“Most mildly ill Iowans do not need to go to their health care provider or be tested to confirm they have COVID-19. Sick Iowans must stay home and isolate themselves from others in their house,” she said.

Arjes said people who think they need health care because of the coronavirus should call their health care provider.

“Your provider can assess whether you need to be seen in the office or if you can recover at home,” she said. “There may also be options for you to talk to a medical provider from home using technology.”

Those recovering at home should isolate from others in the home and stay at home until they have had no fever for at least three full days without fever-reducing medicine, and other symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath have improved, and it has been at least seven days since the first symptoms appeared.

Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday defended her actions to open restaurants and other businesses in a majority of Iowa counties that have reported few coronavirus cases.

Reynolds was questioned at her daily news conference about why she moved to open business in 77 counties and allow resumption of farmers markets and church services statewide.

She took the action even as a group of University of Iowa professors warned that reopening business now could cause a second wave of infections and possibly a “catastrophic loss of life.”

Reynolds said the professors were presenting a model that was a snapshot in time and that improved testing and mitigation efforts have changed the Iowa outcome.

The state has successfully prevented hospitals from being overwhelmed, Reynolds said, and has flattened the potential impact of the virus pandemic in Iowa.

She said 90 percent of Iowa cases are confined to 22 counties that still have restrictions.

“That is how were going to have to manage COVID-19 as we move forward’,” she said. “I didn’t just rip the Band-Aid off or flip the light switch. We’re doing it in a reasonable phased-in approach.”

Iowa health officials reported 302 new COVID-19 cases Thursday and an additional 14 deaths attributed to the disease.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.