© 2024 Iowa Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

READ: White House Coronavirus Task Force Report Finds Iowa Still Has High Rates Of New Infections, Test Positivity

The newest White House Coronavirus Task Force report found while Iowa's rates of new infections and test positivity has decrease, it still has some of the highest rates in the country.
Olga Kononenko
/
Unsplash
The newest White House Coronavirus Task Force report found while Iowa's rates of new infections and test positivity has decrease, it still has some of the highest rates in the country.

The newest White House Coronavirus Task Force Report found Iowa has seen a decrease in new cases and test positivity rates, but the state still continues to have some of the highest numbers in the country.

The report is dated Sunday and was released by the state Department of Public Health Tuesday.

It found the rate of new infections dropped 12 percent in Iowa last week, but with a rate of 875 new cases per 100,000 residents, the state still had a rate more than double the national average.

Its test positivity rate was 22 percent - the third highest rate in the country - and it found 99 percent of Iowa’s counties had high levels of community spread.

The report says the surge in cases can only be interrupted through proactive, focused testing of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people. And through significant behavioral changes.

This includes wearing a mask at all times in public and while interacting with those outside of your immediate household.

Natalie Krebs is IPR's Health Reporter