Iowa records second-highest number of positive coronavirus cases for a single 24-hour period

Iowa recorded its second-highest number of COVID-19 positive cases Saturday, according to numbers reported by the Iowa Department of Public Health and analyzed by The Gazette.

Saturday saw 1,544 positive cases in the state for the 24-hour time period as of 11 a.m.

The only higher day was Aug. 27, with 2,579 positive cases, according to Gazette analysis. That spike was attributed to the state beginning to include antigen test results in its record keeping, the Governor's Office said at the time.

Iowa also recorded five additional deaths connected to the novel coronavirus on Saturday. That brings the total number of Iowans who have died from the virus to 1,526.

There were 72 new positive cases of Iowans working in the education field, and 145 additional positive cases of children 17 years of age and younger.

In other Iowa Department of Public Health data, Linn County recorded 52 new positive cases and Johnson County saw 27.

Black Hawk County, the location of the University of Northern Iowa, noted 52 new positive cases. Story County, home to Iowa State University, had 39 new cases.

No new outbreaks were reported at long-term care facilities, and hospitalizations declined slightly - to 461 from 468 on Friday.

The number of patients in intensive-care units also dropped, by one, to 104, from the previous day. Forty-six people were on ventilators, a decline of two from Friday.

None of the additional deaths were in the Corridor. Iowa County recorded two, while there was one each in Carroll, Pottawattamie and Sac counties.

The top 10 counties in total positive cases:

1. Polk - 17,790

2. Woodbury - 6,701

3. Johnson - 5,593

4. Black Hawk - 5,131

5. Linn - 4,936

6. Dubuque - 4,570

7. Scott - 3,926

8. Story - 3,820

9. Dallas - 3,270

10. Pottawattamie - 2,900.

Counties with double-digit increases or more:

1. Polk - 167

2. Dubuque - 119

3. Pottawattamie - 87

4. Scott - 75

5. Woodbury - 73

6. Des Moines - 54

7. Black Hawk - 52

8. Linn - 52

9. Dallas - 43

10. Muscatine - 41

11. Sioux - 32

12. Story - 29

13. Johnson - 27

14. Plymouth - 25

15. Webster - 23

16. Mahaska - 22

17. Crawford - 19

18. Marshall - 19

19. Warren - 17

20. Jasper - 15

21. Boone - 14

22. Henry - 13

23. Cedar - 11

24. Washington - 11.

The Gazette's Stephen Colbert contributed to this report.