Officials in Pottawattamie County, late Friday, reported that as of Friday, April 17th, Pottawattamie County Public Health said there continues to be a total of eighteen COVID-19 cases, eleven of which have recovered, four are self-isolating at home, two are hospitalized, and there has been one death.

On Friday, April 17th, the Douglas County (Nebraska) Health Department confirmed that two employees of Tyson Foods in Council Bluffs tested positive for COVID-19 on April 14. Both of these individuals reside in Douglas County, Nebraska; therefore, the cases are not reflected in Pottawattamie County’s COVID-19 numbers. Both individuals are self-isolating at home.

Pottawattamie County Public Health is in contact with Tyson Foods and Iowa Department of Public Health. Because a large number of Tyson Foods employees live in Omaha, Pottawattamie County Public Health will continue to work closely with Douglas County and the Nebraska health systems to navigate the situation as it evolves. Pottawattamie County will provide updates as they become available.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than a dozen Iowa elected officials implored Tyson Fresh Meats to close their Waterloo pork processing plant, saying the coronavirus is spreading among workers and is endangering not only employees of the plant but the entire community. Mayors, county officials and state legislators signed the letter that was sent to Tyson on Thursday. The 19 officials said at a Friday news conference they had only received confirmation from the company that it had received the letter but no other action .The officials also accused Gov. Kim Reynolds of misleading Iowans on the seriousness of the outbreak and for failure to take action to close the plant.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa sheriff is urging Tyson Foods to temporarily shut down its plant in Waterloo as coronavirus cases spike in Black Hawk County. The Des Moines Register reports Sheriff Tony Thompson says he’s concerned that COVID-19 will overrun his community even more if the Tyson Foods plant doesn’t take proper precautions. He says they need to deep clean that facility and restart it on a clean slate. His comments came shortly before Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that 138 people had tested positive for the virus and one person has died with the virus in Black Hawk County.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will not call schools back into session this year. Reynolds says the state has not reached its peak of positive coronavirus cases yet, and data doesn’t indicate it’s safe to reopen schools.. The announcement also cancels spring sports activities. State education officials say they will release information on June 1 about summer sports. Reynolds reported 191 new positive cases for a state total of 2,332 cases. Four more people died, bringing the state total to 64 deaths.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hospital administrators have acknowledged that more than 60 employees at the University of Iowa Health Care campus in Iowa City have tested positive for COVID-19. The Gazette reports that of the 64 employees infected to date, four tested positive Thursday. UI Hospitals and Clinics CEO Suresh Gunasekeran says the outbreak is not due to a failure in the hospital’s personal protective equipment strategy. But he conceded that administrators don’t know how or where all the employees were exposed, noting that the virus has “been so prevalent in different parts of the community that we’re just unclear.”

Officials with the Guthrie County Hospital and Guthrie County Public Health, late Friday night, confirmed four cases of COVID-19 in Guthrie County, but no one has been hospitalized. Officials said also, “There have been several questions regarding the case counts and what the accurate numbers are. Data released on the state dashboard and website may lag behind of local confirmation as it depends on the time that data is entered into the IDDS system by the hygienic and reference labs.”

According to Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber, “We continue to remind residents to take preventive measures to slow the spread of this virus. It’s important for everyone to stay home as much as possible and to practice social distancing –this simply means to stay away from groups of people, and to keep a 6-foot distance from other individuals.”

Symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, fever (100.0 or greater) and shortness of breath. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should call your health care provider before going into the office. The provider may have special instructions for you and will determine if you should be tested.

All residents should:

■Stay home as much as possible. Leave only for essential errands like groceries or getting medication. When you run these errands, send only one person from the household, if possible.

■Stay home when even mildly ill (the kind of illness that normally wouldn’t prevent you from your everyday activities)

■Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow/upper arm, and…

■Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

For up-to-date local information on COVID-19, visit adairguthriecountycovid.org

(Radio Iowa) Governor Kim Reynolds says she will use a phased-in approach as she lifts the limits she’s placed on public gatherings and business activities – but she’s not giving a timetable for when she’ll announce her decisions. “I know that the possibility of getting life back normal sooner rather than later is what hard-working Iowans want and it is absolutely what I want, too,” Reynolds says. But Reynolds says the state has not yet started to see a consistent daily decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and she’s not ready to announce when her orders may be lifted.

Iowa bars and restaurants have been closed since noon on March 17th, although take out and curb-side service is allowed. Fitness centers, hair salons, and a variety of other businesses were later added to the closure list that’s currently in effect through April 30th. Reynolds says the speed at which testing capacity can be expanded in the state is another factor in when businesses may be allowed to reopen.

“As we continue to learn how to live with COVID-19 until a vaccine is available, we’ll also learn how to carefully balance not only the health of Iowans, but the health of our economy.” Reynolds says. Reynolds says the plans she and her staff have drawn out for reopening the Iowa economy are in line with the approach President Trump discussed with the nation’s governors on Thursday. Reynolds is again hinting she may allow business activity to resume first in counties and regions of the state where confirmed COVID-19 cases remain low.

Earlier today (Friday) Reynolds announced schools will not reopen in May.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hospital administrators have acknowledged that more than 60 employees at the University of Iowa Health Care campus in Iowa City have tested positive for COVID-19. The Gazette reports that of the 64 employees infected to date, four tested positive Thursday.

UI Hospitals and Clinics CEO Suresh Gunasekeran says the outbreak is not due to a failure in the hospital’s personal protective equipment strategy. But he conceded that administrators don’t know how or where all the employees were exposed, noting that the virus has “been so prevalent in different parts of the community that we’re just unclear.”

SEATTLE — An influential modeling institute is forecasting specific reopening dates for states shut down by the coronavirus. The recommendations are based on projections for when each state’s infections will drop below one per 1 million people. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation says Hawaii, Montana, Vermont and West Virginia could open by May 4, if they restrict large gatherings, test widely and quarantine the contacts of people who test positive.

According to the model, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Utah are among states that would need to wait until late June or early July.

The institute says state decisions on reopening should be made based on the situation closer to the hoped-for date of reopening. Its projections have varied widely over time, drawing criticism from researchers with other types of models. The Seattle model is the one most often mentioned by U.S. health officials at White House briefings.

It uses U.S. hospitalization and death data, along with observed trends in China, Italy and Spain to project what will happen next in the United States. Uncertainty is built into any mathematical model that tries to predict the future.