Iowa reported 18 new deaths related to COVID-19 in the 24-hour period that ended at 11 a.m. Thursday. That’s the highest total since March, when the state reported 21 deaths.
The state’s report included the first deaths in Wayne and Union counties, bringing the statewide death toll to 777.
The state also reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases and total number of tests in a 24-hour period since the first cases in the state were reported in early March.
The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 839 positive of 9,788 total tests in the latest 24-hour period, passing the previous mark of 756 cases June 1.
However, those tests were not necessarily confirmed in the 24-hour time window; that’s when the state reported the positive tests.
In the last three days, the total number of tests didn’t rise above 3,700 each day, less than half the total number of tests reported Thursday. On June 3, the state reported a total of 9,993 tests.
Johnson and Linn counties reported double-digit increases — 51 and 42 new cases, respectively. That’s more than in previous days.
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Two Eastern Iowa long-term care facilities were added to the state’s list of facilities with recorded COVID-19 outbreaks.
Solon Nursing Care Center in Johnson County, also known as Solon Retirement Village, reported 12 positive coronavirus cases in the 24-hour period. According to a post to Solon Nursing Care Center’s Facebook page Wednesday, the facility is doing extra cleaning and separating residents to prevent wider spread. It’s the first long-term care facility to report an outbreak in the county.
Winslow House Care Center in Marion was added to the state’s list. On Thursday, the center reported three positive cases and one person recovered.
A long-term care center outbreak is characterized by having three or more positive cases reported in a 14-day period.
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