DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State health officials say (as of early this morning) four more people with COVID-19 died Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths to 537 since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. The Iowa Department of Public Health said 19,622 Iowans had tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 286 since Sunday. More than half of the state’s confirmed cases were concentrated in seven counties: Polk, Woodbury, Black Hawk, Linn, Marshall, Dallas and Buena Vista.

The IDPH says also: 138, 587 Iowans have tested negative for COVID-19, to-date (248 more than Sunday), and 11,173 have recovered, which is also an increase over Sunday’s reported numbers. Across the State: 339 Iowans are hospitalized with COVID-19 (2 less than Sunday); 125 are in an ICU (up 9 from Sunday); 24 were admitted to hospitals over the past 24-hours (1 more than Sunday); and 73 were on ventilators (up 3 from Sunday).

The Region 4 Regional Medical Coordinator Center – covering hospitals in western/southwest Iowa – (RMCC) reports 16 Iowans are hospitalized, 8 are in an ICU, 1 was admitted over the past 24-hours, and 3 are on ventilators. Those numbers have changed little since Sunday, and there was little change in the number of area counties with positive COVID-19 cases reported and those who have recovered. (See https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/pages/case-counts for a breakdown of cases & the number recovered) The number of Long Term Care (LTC) facility outbreaks is unchanged, at 39. Three more  people associated with those facilities have died, for a total of 253.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some infected people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe illness and death.