Johnson County drop ends 11-day streak of triple-digit coronavirus cases

The percentage of COVID-19 tests in Iowa that proved positive exceeded 10 percent for the 17th day in a row Sunday, but the seven-day average of new infections declined.

Johnson County, which has become a flashpoint of new cases in the state since University of Iowa students returned to campus last late month, broke an 11-day streak of adding new cases in the triple digits - announcing 48 new cases Sunday, down from 122 a day earlier.

During the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Sunday, the state reported 774 new cases, for a total to date of 69,831.

Iowa also reported five more deaths because of the coronavirus infection - three from Polk County and one each from Carroll and Ringgold counties. The additions brings to 1,165 the number of people who have died in Iowa because of the disease in less than six months.

Linn County added 50 cases for a positivity rate of 12.56 percent, slightly less than the statewide rate of 12.69 percent. Johnson County, though, continued above the statewide average, reporting a positivity rate of 16.72 percent.

The state's seven-day average of adding new cases declined from 849 to 818 new cases a day.

Also declining was the number of current hospitalizations during the period. The number of people hospitalized because of the virus dropped from 315 to 309; patients in intensive care went down from 94 to 91 and those on ventilators went from 38 to 37.

The 10 counties with the highest number of COVID-19 cases are:

' Polk County: 14,012

' Johnson County: 4.499

' Woodbury County: 4,303

' Black Hawk County: 3,997

' Linn County: 3,197

' Story County: 2,884

' Dallas County: 2,487

' Scott County: 2,370

' Dubuque County: 2,167

' And Buena Vista County: 1,858.