The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard, (as of 10-a.m. Friday), indicated there were 804 new, positive cases of COVID-19 in test results since 10-a.m. Thursday, for a pandemic total of 323,317. The IDPH said there had been 34 additional deaths recorded over the previous 24 hours, for a pandemic total of 5,067. In western and southwest Iowa, there was one additional death reported in each of Adair and Shelby Counties.

Long-Term Care (LTC) facility data, Friday, show there are 43 current outbreaks among those facilities in Iowa. Those facilities account for 1,326 of Iowa’s positive cases, while 835 LTC patients have recovered from the virus. LTC deaths make up 2,071 of the State’s total number of deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalization levels are at their lowest in Iowa since September. There are now 348 patients hospitalized with the virus, down from 360 the previous day. There are 66 patients in ICU and 31 patients on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa),  21 are hospitalized with COVID symptoms, seven are in an ICU, one person was admitted since Thursday, and four people are on a ventilator.

Iowa’s statewide positivity rate continues to decline. The 14-day positivity rate dropped from 9.3% to 9.1%. The 7-day average dropped from 7.4% to 7.1%. Only three of Iowa’s 99 counties now report a 14-day positivity rate greater than 15%. During the spike in November, more than 90 counties reported a rate higher than 15%. Page, Howard and Clarke counties report the highest rates in the state. Worth County reports a 3.7% rate.

The Health Dept. reports also, 289,737 doses of the vaccine have been administered. Of those doses, 141,541 persons have received their first, or initial dose, while 74,098 have received their second dose.  A total of 291,531 Iowans have recovered from the virus.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,202 cases; {+5}; 46 deaths
• Adair, 718; {+1}; 25
• Adams, 311; {+1}; 3
• Audubon, 440 {+0}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,064 {+3}; 27
• Harrison County, 1,627; {+3}; 67
• Madison County, 1,331; {+9}; 13
• Mills County, 1,418; {+4}; 20
• Montgomery, 932; {+2}; 32
• Pottawattamie County, 9,439; {+21}; 130
• Shelby County, 1,109; {+3}; 31
• Union County,  1,156; {+3}; 29