The Iowa Department of Public Health, as of 10-a.m. today (Saturday), said there were 103 new COVID-19 positive tests reported over the previous 24-hours, and six additional deaths. The health department reported 401,693 total positive tests, and 6,053 total deaths since the start of the pandemic, including 2,364 at Long-Term Care facilities. Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is 2.5%. The 7-day average is down to 2.0%.

The number of Iowans hospitalized with COVID-19 remains at its lowest level in more than a year. IDPH reports there are 111 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s the lowest number reported since early April of 2020. Iowa reports 24 patients in ICU, also the lowest number reported since early April. Officials report 22 patients with COVID or its symptoms  were admitted to a hospital, and 10 patients are on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), there are: five patients hospitalized with COVID or symptoms of the virus; one person with COVID was in an ICU; There were no new admissions or persons on a ventilator to report in Region 4.

There remain three long-term care facilities that are reporting active COVID-19 outbreaks, with a total of 22 positive cases among patients/staff at the those facilities, and seven persons who have recovered from the virus. Health department data shows over 1.34-milion people have completed a vaccine series in Iowa. There have been 2.75-million total doses administered. A reminder: The five state-operated Test Iowa drive-thru sites and the State Hygienic Lab will be closed on Monday, May 31, for the Memorial Day holiday.

In the immediate KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County (since the beginning of the pandemic) and the total number of deaths (Since the beginning of the pandemic) in each county to date:
Cass, 1,474 cases; 54 deaths
Adair, 995; 32
Adams, 352; 4
Audubon, 536; 10
Guthrie, 1,304; 32
Harrison County, 1,930; 73
Madison County, 1,782; 19
Mills County, 1,794; 23
Montgomery, 1,113; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,296;171
Shelby County, 1,376; 37
Union County, 1,372; 34

The Iowa State Patrol says the collision between a train and a pickup truck in Clarke County also resulted in the deaths of 14-year-old Brooklyn Eggers and 15-year-old Gavin J. Werner, both of Murray. The crash happened on a Level B road at around 4:30-p.m., Thursday. The driver of the pickup, 16-year-old Tyson S. Nall, of Murray, was injured and flown to a hospital in Des Moines, where remains in serious condition as of the latest report. All four of the teens went to school in the Murray Community School District. BNSF officials confirmed no employees were injured.

The Patrol says the 2000 Chevy pickup the teens were in was traveling east on Kansas Street in rural Clarke County when it was struck on the passenger side by a northbound train at a marked railroad crossing. Eggers and Werner died at the scene. BNSF stated that the crossing had gate arms, flashing lights and bells. The collision remains under investigation.

Thursday night, one person from Waterloo died and three others were injured, when a pickup cross the grass median dividing north and southbound traffic, and collided with an SUV in Bremer County. The crash happened on Highway 218 at Edgebrook Drive. Both drivers were injured. The pickup driver was identified as 59-year-old Terry Dawes. The driver of the SUV, was 36-year-old Willie Walker. A passenger in the Walker vehicle, 27-year-old Azra Ponjevic, died at the scene. Two other passengers in the SUV, 25-year-old Eric Bickerstaff and Necmurie Cruz, were injured. All of the injured were transported to area hospitals in Waterloo. Only one of the victims was wearing a seat belt. The crash remains under investigation.

Friday afternoon, three people died and one person was injured in a collision between a car and a semi in Fayette County. The State Patrol reports a 2010 Chevy Impala driven by a 65-yearold from North Liberty, was traveling north on Highway 150, when it crossed the center line of the road and collided with a southbound 2021 Freightliner semi head-on. The driver of the car, and two passengers, an 18-year old from North Liberty and a nine-year-old from Amana, died in the crash. A 15-year old passenger in the car was injured and transported to the local hospital. No names have been released. The crash remains under investigation.

And, later in the afternoon on Friday, a 71-year-old woman from Denver, Iowa died in a crash between her 2001 Ford Ranger and a 2012 Chrysler van, in Black Hawk County. The Patrol says Evelyn Rogers‘ pickup was traveling south on V-25 and stopped at the intersection with C-57, before she pulled out into the path of the van, driven by 48-year-old Brian Moulds, of Dunkerton. When the pickup was struck broadside, Rogers – who was not wearing a seat belt – was ejected and pronounced dead at Unity Point Hospital. Moulds was wearing a seat belt and was injured, but was not transported to the hospital.