Iowa Department of Public Health reports 304 new cases of COVID-19, four new deaths
Caitlin Yamada/ Iowa State Daily
Gov. Kim Reynolds delivering a speech at the 2020 Deterrence and Assurance Academic Alliance Workshop and Conference on March 11 in the Student Innovation Center.
May 18, 2020
There have been an additional 304 positive cases of COVID-19 in the state of Iowa, making a total of 14,955 cases.
The Iowa Department of Public Health reported four additional deaths, for a total of 355 statewide.
2,907 additional people have been tested for COVID-19, for a total of 103,1478 tests.
Of those that have tested positive, an additional 170 cases have recovered, for a total of 7,324 total recoveries.
The total amount of positive COVID-19 cases in Story County is 79.
In Monday’s press conference, Iowa governor Kim Reynolds said Iowa is “trending in the right direction” as the state is 18 days removed from its highest number of new cases reported and the days to double is now at 21.
Even with new cases being reported, some restrictions on businesses were lifted last week and businesses now have the option to open up if they please.
“We’re at a point where we must strike a balance between managing virus activity for the long term and getting our economy up and running again,” Reynolds said. “It’s not a matter of prioritizing one or the other; it is about prioritizing both.”
The COVID-19 TestIowa call center (844-844-1561) is now up and running according to Reynolds, and the data dashboard will be updated with cases in real-time, beginning Monday afternoon.
With Memorial Day weekend coming up, Reynolds said she is continuing to ask Iowans to “exercise personal responsibility” and to “practice social distancing.”
