First Case of COVID-19 Confirmed in HENRY County
A case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been confirmed in Henry County. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), the individual is self-isolating at home.
“While this is Henry County’s first case, it may not be the last, and that’s why we encourage all residents to continue to make prevention a priority,” said Henry County Public Health Director Shelley Van Dorin. These actions include:
- Washing hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds each time.
- Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow/upper arm.
- Staying home when ill.
Approximately 80% of Iowans infected with COVID-19, will experience only a mild to moderate illness. Most mildly ill Iowans do not need to go to their healthcare provider or be tested to confirm they have COVID-19. Sick Iowans must stay home and isolate themselves from others in their house. Stay home and isolate from others in the house until:
- You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers)
AND
- other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved)
AND
- at least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
If you think you may need healthcare, call first. Your provider can assess whether you need to be seen in the office or if you can recover at home. There may also be options for you to talk to a medical provider from home using technology.
For up-to-date information from Iowa Department of Public Health related to COVID-19, visit https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus. For recent fact sheets, resources, and local organization updates, visit www.HealthyHenryCounty.org/PublicHealth.
###
– The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been notified of 23 additional positive cases of Iowans with COVID-19, for a total of 68 positive cases. To date, there have been 1,049 negative tests conducted at the State Hygienic Lab.
According to IDPH, the locations and age ranges of the 23 individuals include:
- Allamakee County, 1 middle age adult (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Black Hawk County, 1 middle age adult (41-60 years), 1 elderly (81 years or older)
- Dubuque County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Fayette County, 1 adult (18-40 years)
- Henry County, 1 adult (18-40 years)
- Johnson County, 3 adults (18-40 years), 1 middle age adult (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Linn County, 2 adults (18-40 years), 1 middle age adult (41-60 years)
- Muscatine County, 1 middle age adult (41-60 years)
- Polk County, 2 middle age adults (41-60 years), 2 older adults (61-80 years)
- Pottawattamie County, 1 middle age adult (41-60 years)
- Story County, 1 adult (18-40 years)
- Washington County, 1 middle age adult (41-60 years)
A status report of monitoring and testing of COVID19 in Iowa is provided by IDPH and can be found here. In addition, a public hotline has been established for Iowans with questions about COVID-19. The line is available 24/7 by calling 2-1-1 or 1-800-244-7431. The state of Iowa will begin to share the number of negative tests conducted at outside labs.
Iowans who have traveled recently for business or spring break vacations, whether internationally or domestically outside of Iowa, should strongly consider self-isolating for 14 days. This will support Iowa’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and limit the introduction of the virus from other points of travel.
Iowa has implemented many provisions to emphasize social distancing, and self-isolation after travel is another measure we can take to slow the spread of the virus and avoid quickly overburdening our healthcare system.
Gov. Reynolds will hold a press conference on Sun., March 22 at 2:30 p.m. The press conference will be livestreamed and posted in full on Governor Reynolds’ Facebook Page.
###