DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is now reporting positive and negative antigen test results following a steadily increasing volume of the rapid-result tests across the state. 

While some states have chosen not to report antigen results, IDPH believes doing so will provide more complete information for Iowans. Updated data on coronavirus.iowa.gov now includes case counts for both PCR and antigen tests separately, and the combined total test results.

Antigen testing is a new type of COVID-19 diagnostic test that detects proteins on the surface of the virus and generates results faster than a PCR test, which detects the virus’s genetic material. PCR tests are considered the “gold standard” for clinical diagnosis of COVID-19, and is the test used by the State Hygienic Lab and Test Iowa.  

On August 16, the CDC issued interim guidance for antigen testing, including regulatory requirements, collection and handling of specimens, and evaluation of results. 

According to the CDC, the sensitivity of rapid antigen tests is generally lower than PCR tests, and clinical performance depends on the circumstances in which they are used. Antigen tests can be helpful for individuals tested in the early stages of infection when viral load is generally highest, or for known exposures to a confirmed case of COVID-19. They can also be used in high-risk congregate settings in which repeat testing could quickly identify positive cases to inform infection prevention and control measures, and prevent further transmission.

Currently in Iowa, antigen testing is being used in long-term care facilities, health care clinics, retail pharmacies and by a variety of other testing providers. 

Antigen testing accounts for just 1.8% of all COVID-19 tests in Iowa at this time, but use of the test is increasing and expected to continue. 

To date, antigen tests have been included in Iowa’s total case count, but individual test results have been classified as “inconclusive” rather than as positive or negative cases. Now that more is known about antigen tests, negative and positive results are now included in the state’s COVID-19 case reporting and calculation of positivity. The inclusion of antigen tests results in minimal change to the state’s positivity rate.

Public health has been conducting case investigations and contact tracing for all positive test results, including both antigen and PCR tests. All individuals who test positive by PCR or antigen testing continue to be directed to quarantine for 10 days from the start of symptoms, have symptoms improving,  and be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to work, school or normal activities.  

IDPH will continue to adjust its reporting to include new technologies, test types and information as the COVID-19 response evolves.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds announced $5 million in funding from the Corona Virus Relief Fund to support the Future Ready IowaEmployer Innovation Fund.  Grant applications open today and will provide funding opportunities for employers, employer consortiums, community organizations and nonprofits, to provide training, books, tools and wrap around support for Iowans engaged in training programs in high-demand careers. The grant program will focus on Iowans whose jobs have been affected or eliminated because of the pandemic.  The application process opens on Wednesday, August 26th and will be open until September 16th.  Recipients will be notified of awards by September 23rd, 2020.  No matching funds will be required from applicants and the maximum available award will be $100,000 per applicant.

“The Employer Innovation Fund empowers employers and communities to find creative ways to help workers most affected by the pandemic by identifying local workforce needs and then creating programs that will quickly get people into and out of training to meet those needs,” said Director Beth Townsend, Iowa Workforce Development. “As Iowa’s businesses reopen, the grants will help Iowans gain credentials in high-demand jobs that support a good quality of life for themselves and their families.  It is a tremendous investment in our workers and our recovery.”

The $5 million investment from the CARES act Coronavirus Relief Fund will jump-start the creation of training opportunities for Iowans most affected by the pandemic.  Grants can be used to cover the cost of training and supplies as well as provide much needed wrap around support that addresses the other barriers some Iowans face when trying to obtain skilled training.  Support services can be used to cover expenses related to childcare, transportation and provide stipends to meet basic necessities while in training.  The competitive grants will expand opportunities for more Iowans to earn for-credit and non-credit postsecondary credentials, including short-term certificates, that lead to high-demand jobs.

Additional information:

• Employers, employer consortiums, community organizations, nonprofits and other entities can apply.
• Applicants must be aligned with at least one employer.
• Qualifying initiatives must be tied to outcomes related to obtaining credentials in high-demand jobs.
• Projects must be able to spend granted funds by Dec. 31, 2020.

The Future Ready Iowa goal is to have 70 percent of Iowans in the workforce with education and training beyond high school by 2025.  Approximately 60 percent of Iowa’s current workforce meets this education and training criteria. The Employer Innovation Fund will award grants to support initiatives that use innovative and creative ways to accelerate postsecondary credential attainment for Iowans.

Potential applicants can find more information and apply for the Employer Innovation Fund at www.futurereadyiowa.gov/innovation and can apply at https://iowagrants.gov/index.do

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Thursday at 6:08 p.m. of 31-year-old Steven Mathew Behlers of Creston on a Union County Warrant for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. Behlers was taken to the Union County Jail and held on no bond until seen by a judge.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests and an accident on Thursday and early Friday.

At 1:41 p.m. Deputies arrested 19-year-old Dylan Gabriel Good of Glenwood for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Good was arrested on Highway 34, taken to the Mills County Jail and booked in on $1,000 bond.

At 1:45 p.m. Deputies arrested 34-year-old Seth Allen Simmons of Omaha, NE on a Warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond was set at $5,000.

A single-vehicle accident occurred at 2:20 a.m. Friday on Hanna Avenue near 195th Street. 18-year-old Ashton Hagen of Omaha, NE was traveling west on Hanna Avenue in a 1996 Dodge and attempted a U-turn on the road. The Dodge slipped off the roadway and into a ditch. Hagen then drove south through the field and attempted to back up and turn around but slid into a culvert and became stuck. There was no damage to the vehicle and no injuries reported. The vehicle was left to await tow in the daylight. No further details were given.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — One day after an Iowa judge voided 50,000 absentee ballot requests, a second judge says he’ll rule shortly on the Trump campaign’s motion to invalidate 14,000 more. Judge Patrick Tott heard arguments Friday on the dispute in Woodbury County and said that he would try to issue a ruling by the end of the day. At issue is whether Woodbury County’s elections commissioner, Patrick Gill, acted improperly when he sent absentee ballot request forms to 57,000 registered voters that had their personal information filled in. Judge Ian Thornhill ruled Thursday that a similar mailing in Linn County violated a directive from the Iowa Secretary of State, who ordered counties to leave the forms blank when mailed to voters in order to ensure uniformity statewide.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some Iowa families have been unable for weeks to bury loved ones who have died because of a backlog of autopsies at the Iowa state medical examiner’s office. Television station KCCI reports that the office is backlogged at least two weeks, and 47 families are currently waiting for autopsies. The Iowa Department of Human Services blames a lack of specialized pathologists, retirements at the county level, and a 25% increase in autopsies in the last year for the backlog. Christy Smith, of Urbandale, says she’s been waiting 17 days for the state to perform an autopsy on her 21-year-old daughter, Madeline Wise, to determine how she died on Aug. 11. The waiting, she says, “is horrific.”

The Creston Police Department reports three arrests on Thursday.

At 12:15 p.m. Officers arrested 40-year-old Jason Lee Schilapia of Creston at 302 N. Pine Street on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault by Strangulation. Shilapia was being held on no bond at the Union County Jail until seen by a judge.

At 4:29 p.m. Officers arrested 22-year-old Amanda Marie Blakley-Luddington of Creston at 520 Livingston Avenue on a charge of Driving While Barred. Blakley-Luddington had bail set at $2,000 cash or approved surety. She posted bond and was released.

At 10:11 p.m. Creston Police arrested 34-year-old Michael Edward Baker of Creston at Jefferson and Sumner on the charges of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, 3 counts Possession of Controlled Substance- 3rd or subsequent offense, Driving While Suspended, Failure to Affix Drug Tax Stamp, and Carrying Weapons. Baker was taken to the Union County Jail and held on $22,300 bond.