Iowa surpasses 2,000 COVID-19 cases

Iowa has surpassed 2,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the state.

The state saw 146 new cases on Thursday, bringing the total number up to 2,141 confirmed cases.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, RMCC region 6, which is the northeast portion of the state hit level 10 on Thursday. In response, Gov. Kim Reynolds issued new rules for that region at her Thursday news conference.

Reynolds said as of 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, residents in those Eastern Iowa counties can only socialize with people in their households until April 30. The counties in region 6 include Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Grundy, Howard, Jones, Linn and Winneshiek Counties.

According to the same regional assessment map, region 5, the location of Washington, Henry and Jefferson Counties, was at a 9 as of Thursday.

Locally, there were five new cases in Washington County on Thursday, bringing the county total up to 106 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Additionally, there were seven new deaths across the state, bringing the total number of deaths in Iowa to 60. Reynolds said during her Thursday news conference that 49% of deaths in Iowa are residents in long-term care facilities.

Reynolds said two more Iowa long-term care facilities have seen COVID-19 outbreaks. Linn Manor Care Center in Linn County has 15 cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday and Lutheran Living Senior Campus in Muscatine County has eight cases. Currently, there are nine total confirmed outbreaks in long-term care facilities around the state.

There have also been outbreaks in two Iowa Tyson Food plants. An additional 900 COVID-19 tests have been sent to the Tyson plant in Columbus Junction, located in Louisa County. The county has a population of 11,000. As of Thursday, the county has 166 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 148 of those have been confirmed to be associated with the Tyson plant outbreak. The company said two workers in the Columbus Junction plant died Wednesday. The two deaths are the first known to be linked to the meatpacking plant outbreak.

Additionally, 1,500 tests are being sent to the Waterloo Tyson plant where another outbreak is suspected Reynolds said.