Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard today (Wednesday), indicated 26 more deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 since Tuesday’s report, for a total of 1,898. The number of deaths attributed to a pre-existing conditions statewide are 1,227, while deaths at Long-Term Care facilities amount to 905, five more than reported Tuesday. Officials say there are 4,764 new confirmed cases of the virus, for a total since the pandemic began, of 166,021. Cass County has 15 new, Positive cases of COVID, for a total of 606. Double-digit Positive case increases were reported in Adams, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Shelby and Union Counties. There are 110 new cases in Pottawattamie County. There was also one more death reported in each of: Cass County (11 total); Mills County (4 total), and Montgomery County (8 total).

Current Long-Term Care facility (LTC) outbreaks are down slightly, to 101 today. Those care facilities report 3,021 positive cases and 1,317 recoveries.   In Cass County, three facilities: Atlantic Specialty Care, The Heritage House, and the Griswold Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, have a combined total of 145 positive cases, with 39 recovered. Harrison County has 298 cases among three facilities, and 234 recovered.  (For more data, go to https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/)

A record number of Iowans are hospitalized with COVID-19. Hospitalizations were up from 1,034 Tuesday to 1,190 today. Some hospitals now report being at or near capacity. COVID patients in an ICU amount to 210 (compared to 196 Tuesday). Persons admitted to a hospital since 10-a.m. Tuesday number 230 (compared to 166 previously), and there are 101 patients on a ventilator (compared to 89 Tuesday). In western/southwestern Iowa: there are 59 COVID patients in the hospital (compared to 62 Tuesday); 17 are in an ICU, eight people were admitted (Compared to 4 Tuesday), and there are currently five people on a ventilator (two more than yesterday).

The health department reports 1,059,706 Iowans have been tested for COVID-19. The state received 7,551 lab test results in the previous day, with 2,213 Positive results and 5,319 Negative results (total Negative to-date: 891,899). The IDPH says 104,211 Iowans have recovered from the virus. The State’s Individual Positivity rate is up to 15.7%, and the 14-day rolling average is up to 21.4%. Cass County’s rate is 17.8%. Page County’s rate is 36.5% (the highest in southwest Iowa). Taylor County has a positivity rate of 25.6%. Shelby County 25.3%. Mills County has a 25% positivity rate. Of Iowa’s 99 counties, 92 report 14-day positivity rates above 15%. Only one Iowa county, Ringgold County, reports a 14-day positivity rate below 10%.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,

• Cass, 606 cases {+15}; 392 recovered; 11 deaths
• Adair, 296 {+5}; 114; 3
• Adams, 120 {+15}; 62; 1
• Audubon, 235 {+2}; 122; 1
• Guthrie, 540 {+5); 341; 15
• Harrison County, 850 {+12}; 540; 21
• Madison County, 490 {+8}; 325; 4
• Mills County, 680 {+37}; 311; 4
• Montgomery, 298 {+15}; 201; 8
• Pottawattamie County, 4,288 {+110]; 2,968; 51
• Shelby County, 566 {+20}; 432; 2
• Union County,  433 {+42}; 257; 6