The Iowa Department of Public Health reports 14 more people have died from COVID-19. for a total of 578, and there were 562 new, positive cases of the virus, since Wednesday, for a total of 20,574. There were also 8,620 more negative case test results than Wednesday, 265 more people have recovered from the virus – for a total of 12,157, and the number of Iowans tested rose 9,145 to 173,280.

The IDPH reports also, there were four less persons who remained in a hospital, but 10 more were admitted Wednesday, for a total of 310. The number of persons in an ICU was down 11, to 105; Six fewer people were on ventilators, for a total of 70. The number of Long-Term Care facility (LTC) outbreaks is unchanged at 42. 10 more patients and/or staff tested positive for COVID-19, for a total of 1,605, five more died at those facilities, for a total of 288, and 80 have recovered from COVID-19, which is 41 more than Wednesday.

The Region 4 Regional Medical Coordination Center (RMCC)  data – covering hospitals in western/southwest Iowa – shows one less person hospitalized,  two less people in an ICU, none were admitted over the past 24-hours, and 2 remain on ventilators. For Cass and surrounding counties, there wasn’t much change in the number of cases and the number of those recovered, over the past 24-hours. The exceptions: Guthrie and Shelby Counties, both of which had 1 more positive case of COVID-19, and Pottawattamie County, where the IDPH dashboard shows 306 cases and 185 recovered.

A study on electronic cigarettes done in part by a University of Iowa researcher finds vaping significantly increases the risk of dental disease. U-I Professor Sukirth Ganesan says he was stunned by how quickly the use of e-cigarettes impacted good bacteria, leaving users’ mouths teeming with infection-causing organisms and at a substantial risk for ailments ranging from gum disease to cancer. “All of these patients are using e-cigarettes for anywhere between three months, four months to a year,” Ganesan says. “Within a year of use, the e-cigarette vaping is messing up the oral bacteria, their functions and everything around.”

The study found those who vape had oral bacteria that resembled periodontitis, a gum infection that can lead to tooth loss and, left untreated, is a risk factor for heart and lung disease. “This is kind of alarming that these changes are happening within a year,” Ganesan says. “We have to follow up and see what happens to these people who are using e-cigarettes.” When vaping first gained popularity seven or eight years ago, it promised to be a viable alternative that could help people quit smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes, but Ganesan says that’s clearly no longer the case. “I’ve had patients tell me, ‘Oh, doc, I’m using this vaping to try and quit smoking and it’s working great,’ and I’ll be like, ‘Fantastic, go for it,’ because we had no idea what it was doing,” Ganesan says. “Now, yeah, definitely not. Sometimes I feel bad that in 2012 and ’13, that I didn’t know and I would just say ‘yes’ if someone asked me because I didn’t know what was going on.”

Vaping continues to gain popularity in Iowa, especially among youth. An American Lung Association report last year found 16-percent of Iowa adults smoke cigarettes while about five-percent vape, versus Iowa high schools where four-percent of 11th graders smoke cigarettes and more than 22-percent vape. Ganesan’s research was published in the journal Science Advances.

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/22/eaaz0108

Police in Red Oak, Wednesday night, arrested a man on a Criminal Mischief charge. 46-year old James Reed Mitroff II, of Red Oak, was taken into custody in the 900 block of E. Washington Avenue a little before 10-p.m. and brought to the Montgomery County Jail. His cash bond was set at $300.

(Radio Iowa) — Republicans in the Iowa House have approved legislation to forbid paroled felons who owe victim restitution from voting if Iowans approve a constitutional amendment that automatically restores felon voting rights. Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, was the bill’s chief advocate. “We’re talking about somebody who potentially killed someone,” he says, “not just some dismissive bill they can’t pay.”

Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, is a criminal defense attorney. Wolfe says last (Wednesday) night was a strange time to pass the bill as protesters 50 blocks from the Capitol were calling for criminal justice reform. “It’s punishing people because they do not have the financial resources to pay a debt,” Wolfe said. “It’s a poll tax.”

Representative Ras Smith of Waterloo, a Democrat, says the bill exacerbates inequities in the criminal justice system.”You are knowingly utilizing legislation to guarantee that poor Iowans are dis-proportionally impacted and shut out from the process to raise their voices,” Smith said. “That’s just what it is.”

Kaufmann says this was always part two of Republican lawmakers’ plans on felon voting rights. “If I’ve got care-o-meter for the rights of the victim, it’s up here,” Kaufmann says. “And if I’ve got a care-o-meter for the rights for the people who committed the crimes and hurt them, it’s a lot lower.”

The bill goes to the governor, so attention shifts back to Senate Republicans who’ve balked at passing a plan to end Iowa’s status as the only state that bans felons from voting once they’re released from prison. In 2019, Governor Reynolds called on lawmakers to pass a resolution for a constitutional amendment that would automatically restore felon voting rights. She has resisted calls to accomplish that with an executive order, as former Governors Vilsack and Culver did.

Reynolds has streamlined the system for individuals seeking voting rights through applications she must review and approve.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has sent Governor Reynolds a bill to adjust Iowa’s medical marijuana program. It will not boost the potency of the cannabis products as significantly as a bill she vetoed in 2019 would have. Senator Rich Taylor, a Democrat from Mount Pleasant, says he’d like to pass a meaningful bill.

“I figured this year we’ll come back and tell the governor: ‘No, you’re wrong,'” Taylor said. “‘We’re going to stick with this. We’re going to move Iowa forward. We’re going to get some real help for some very, very sick people who can be helped by this drug.'”

The bill aligns with the recommendations of a state task force — allowing Iowans in the medical cannabis program to buy a 90-day supply of products with a maximum of four-and-a-half grams of T-H-C. That’s the key chemical in marijuana. Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale, a Republican, says the bill isn’t perfect, but worth supporting because it also lets doctors recommend a higher dosage.

“Tell that 57-year-old woman that is already on the program that will go to her doctor and want an increase in the THC level, explain to her why you’re voting against this,” Zaun said, “because this is a step forward.”

Senators had an often testy debate over this bill before it passed on a mostly party-line vote. The House endorsed the plan earlier this year.

Mills County Public Health Officials, Wednesday night, confirmed an additional, positive case of COVID-19 was found in person 41-to 60-years of age. The case was contracted through community spread, and brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Mills County, to 20. Of those, 19 persons have recovered from the virus. Officials say to-date, 1,249 residents of the county have been tested.

Officials said also, “We encourage all our residents to continue to use good judgment in the decisions they make. All residents are urged to stay home as much as possible, stay away from groups of people and maintain a 6-foot distance from other individuals. We remind all residents to continue to practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow/upper arm and stay at home when you are ill.”

TESTIOWA.COM
“The sooner we can identify COVID-19 cases, the sooner we can get back to our normal way of life. In addition to social distancing, widespread testing is a proven, effective way to combat the spread of COVID-19. Testing gives us crucial data that we need to track the spread of the virus, contain it, and to help find a cure and save lives. There is a new TESTIOWA site close to us located in Council Bluffs. Go to TESTIOWA.COM to schedule your appointment. Testing is open to anyone interested. It is an easy process. You get a time slot and drive-through testing.”

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit Mills County Coronavirus webpage at http://covid19.millscoia.us