Iowa tops 80,000 coronavirus cases

As students head back to Iowa schools, the number of children age 17 and under who tested positive for COVID-19 has grown by 411 in the last three days, according to public health data released Sunday morning.

The increase brings the statewide total for that age group to 6,380.

While younger children appear to be less vulnerable to complications from the infection, public health officials have expressed concern they could spread the disease to people who are - such as teachers and older family members.

The number of people in education as an occupation who have tested positive grew 254 in same three days, for a total of 3,080, the data show.

Iowa surpassed having 80,000 total COVID-19 cases in the last six months with the addition of 874 new cases in the 24-hour period that ended at 11 a.m. Sunday. The new total is 80,010.

The state also reported one additional death in the period due to the coronavirus - one person in Linn County. That brings the total deaths in Iowa related to the disease to 1,265, of which now 106 have been in Linn County.

On Friday, Gov. Kim Reynolds extended her order keeping bars closed in the university communities of Johnson and Story counties, where cases surged as students returned to campus and crowded bars last month.

Both counties remain in the 10 Iowa counties with the most cases, but Johnson County added only 22 cases and Story added only 15 cases in the period.

Statewide, hospitalizations because of the virus inched down across the board: Hospitalizations were down from 282 to 269; those in intensive care decreased from 81 to 73 and those on ventilators to help breathe declined from 40 to 38 in the 24-hour period.

Here are the 10 Iowa counties that have reported the most COVID-19 cases so far:

' Polk: 1,5273

' Johnson: 4,989

' Woodbury: 4,954

' Black Hawk: 4,339

' Linn: 3,765

' Story: 3,280

' Dubuque: 2,773

' Scott: 2,768

' Dallas: 2,680

' Pottawattamie: 1,991