Iowa adds 711 COVID-19 cases, 18 deaths on Thursday

Iowa on Thursday added 711 new COVID-19 cases and 18 new, confirmed deaths.

The numbers bring the state’s total number of cases since March 2020 to 366,842 and its death toll to 5,980, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Iowa’s seven-day average for new cases is 348.

Linn County added 47 cases Thursday, its highest single-day total since 51 on April 1, though the county reported no new cases Wednesday, which could explain the higher number Thursday.

Linn has reported 20,722 COVID-19 cases since March 2020. The county’s seven-day average is 20.

Johnson County reported 24 new cases, with a seven-day average of 13. The county has had 14,406 cases of the virus since March 2020.

Of the new cases reported statewide Thursday, 129 were among children up to age 17, bringing the total number of infected minors in Iowa to 43,508 in the past 13 months.

Deaths

Of Thursday’s 18 newly reported deaths, half were people age 80 and older, eight were ages 61 to 80 and one was between 41 and 60 years old.

The deaths took place between April 4 and May 3.

Polk and Pottawattamie counties reported two deaths each. Counties that reported one death each were Linn, Appanoose, Audubon, Black Hawk, Dallas, Grundy, Jasper, Mahaska, Mills, Monroe, Montgomery, Page, Scott and Webster.

Hospitalizations

Across the state, COVID-19 hospitalizations decreased from 192 to 188 during the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Thursday.

The number of patients in intensive care dipped from 47 to 45, and the number of patients on ventilators dropped from 20 to 18.

Long-term care facilities

As of Thursday, one long-term care facility was experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, the same as Wednesday, with 18 people testing positive.

Since the start of the pandemic, 2,320 people in long-term care facilities have died of COVID-19.

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