Iowa hits almost 1,860 coronavirus deaths in long-term care facilities

Iowa reached almost 1,860 coronavirus-related deaths in its long-term care facilities as of 11 a.m. Saturday.

According to Iowa Department of Public Health data and analyzed by The Gazette, a total of 1,859 deaths at long-term care centers have been connected to COVID-19 since the pandemic surfaced in Iowa this past March. Five of those deaths — all for people 80 and older — were for the previous 24-hour time period as of 11 a.m. Saturday.

Seventy-one outbreaks were ongoing in long-term care facilities as of Saturday morning, according to the state.

Outbreaks were noted in area facilities at Gardens of Cedar Rapids and Northbrook Manor Care Center in Linn County; at Briarwood Health Care Center and Lantern Park Specialty Care in Johnson County; and at Clarence Nursing Home in Cedar County.

Overall, the public health department listed 3,060 new cases statewide, with a total of nine deaths confirmed to be related to COVID-19.

Linn County was listed as having 67 new positive cases and Johnson added 46.

Children younger than 18 added 248 positive cases.

Hospitalizations statewide were down from 450 as of Friday morning, to 419 on Saturday. Seventy-six patients were in intensive care due to COVID-19, and 38 were on ventilators, according to the state.

Top 10 counties in total positive cases:

1. Polk — 46,616
2. Linn — 17,986
3. Scott — 15,794
4. Black Hawk — 14,041
5. Woodbury — 13,096
6. Johnson — 12,253
7. Dubuque — 11,563
8. Pottawattamie — 9,127
9. Dallas — 9,065
10. Story — 8,781.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website recorded 191,799 new positive cases nationwide as of noon Central Time Saturday. It listed a total of 412,592 deaths since the pandemic began in the United States.

The CDC also noted Iowa had administered 180,110 total doses — that is, people having received one or more shots — of a coronavirus vaccine.

More than 20.5 million total doses had been administered nationwide.