Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard today (Saturday), shows more than 1.4-million Iowans have been tested for the virus, 304, 122 have tested positive, 265,317 have recovered from the virus, and 4,321 have died, since the beginning of the pandemic. The IDPH says 1,336 people have tested positive since Friday, and 64 more deaths have been recorded. After closures due to Friday’s storm and Martin Luther King Jr. Day closing testing sites on Monday, the IDPH says numbers may be affected in the following days.

Iowa’s average reported positivity rate for the last 14-days is at 13.3%, compared to 13.2% on Friday.

Of those who died from COVID, 3,948 persons have underlying causes, and COVID was a contributing factor in 373 of those deaths. There were no additional deaths reported in the immediate KJAN listening area.

The RMCC dashboard (hospitalization information) shows, that since 10-a.m. Friday: 505 patients were hospitalized with COVID symptoms across the state (Compared to 513 on Friday); 91 people are in an ICU (unchanged from previous); 80 were admitted to a hospital (compared to 88 on Friday), and 39 patients are on ventilators.

The numbers in western/southwest Iowa (RMCC Region 4), show there are: 36 are hospitalized (3 more than previous); 12 are in an ICU; 4 people were admitted to a hospital, and 7 people are on a ventilator.

There are currently 78 Long Term Care facilities (LTC) with COVID-19 outbreaks, 1,910 positive total (patient/staff) cases at those facilities, 949 recoveries and 1,759 LTC patients have died.

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, 1,124 cases; {+5}; 41 deaths
• Adair, 684; {+4}; 20
• Adams, 293; {+1}; 3
• Audubon, 411; {+0}; 8
• Guthrie, 1,022 {+0}; 24
• Harrison County, 1,540; {+10}; 62
• Madison County, 1,178; {+14}; 9
• Mills County, 1,357; {+5}; 16
• Montgomery, 840; {+9}; 22
• Pottawattamie County, 8,905; {+33}; 112
• Shelby County, 1013; {+4}; 26
• Union County,  1,081; {+1}; 22

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Denison woman on Saturday morning. At approximately 6:40 a.m. Deputies arrested 55-year-old Amy J. Ross of Denison on a charge of Driving While Revoked. Ross was arrested following an investigation into a reported car in the ditch at Ironwood Avenue and 180th Street. A check of Ross’ driving record indicated that her privelege to operate a motor vehicle in the State of Iowa was revoked. She was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of the largest jackpots in U.S. history is growing larger. There was no winner of Friday’s drawing for the Mega Millions $750 million jackpot. It would have been the fifth-largest jackpot ever drawn. Now, the next top prize is estimated to grow to $850 million. That would be the third-largest of all time. The drawing is on Tuesday. Lottery players still have a chance to win big this weekend. The Powerball jackpot is up to $640 million for the drawing on Saturday. No one has won either game’s top prize in months, and it’s been nearly two years since a lottery jackpot has grown so large.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has made another arrest following an investigation that began on Wednesday, January 13th. On Friday at approximately 3:40 p.m. Deputies arrested 58-year-old Donna M. Tiemeyer of Farragut for a Controlled Substance Violation, a Class C Felony.  Tiemeyer was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $100,000 bond.

The investigation had previously led to the arrest as well of Henry. B. Ballard. Ballard has now additionally been charged with a Drug Tax Stamp Violation.