Louisa County sees large jump in COVID-19 cases due to Tyson outbreak

After a delay due to having technical issues with the new Iowa Department of Public Health website, Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered the new COVID-19 numbers during Tuesday's news conference.

Tuesday saw Iowa's biggest jump in cases with 189 new positive COVID-19 cases. Reynolds said 86 of the new positive cases are related to an outbreak at Tyson Foods in Columbus Junction, located in Louisa County. Iowa's total number of positive COVID-19 cases is 1,899.

The plant announced they were suspending operations last week after 'more than two dozen” of individuals tested positive for COVID-19 according to a news release from the company. Reynolds said the company in anticipating opening back up next week but said everyone is continuing to assess the situation.

The Community Health Centers of Southeastern Iowa is offering drive-up COVID-19 testing from 1-3 p.m. throughout the week according to a Facebook post from the Louisa County Sheriff's Office. There are a limited number of tests available and one must call to make an appointment for a test at 319-728-7400. Medical staff will assess an individual's symptoms over the phone and then decide if one should be tested according to the post.

Additionally, Reynolds also said there were six new deaths in Iowa due to COVID-19 on Tuesday bringing the state's death total up to 49.

Locally, Washington County saw six new positive cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday according to IDPH, bringing the county total up to 95. Henry County saw two new cases, brining its total to 22. Jefferson County remains at four positive cases.

Statewide, there were 481 negative cases on Tuesday, bringing Iowa's total number of negative cases to 17,467.