Thursday COVID update — new Iowa cases skyrocket with 4500+ new cases between Wednesday and Thursday

DES MOINES — The number of COVID-19 cases in Iowa skyrocketed to more than 4500 in the 24 hours leading up to 11 o’clock this morning as the number of active cases in the KGLO News listening area for the third day in a row increased by over 100.

There were 4562 new confirmed cases and 20 more deaths statewide according to data from the Iowa Department of Public Health. 223 new cases of COVID-19 were identified in the ten-county KGLO News listening area in the same 24 hour period, with 82 of those new cases in Cerro Gordo County. There were only 44 new cases that were fully recovered in our area in that timeframe.

The number of active cases in the area jumped to 1890 as of this morning compared to 1713 at 11 o’clock on Wednesday morning.

The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Iowa has risen over the past two weeks from 26% on Oct. 21 to over 39% on Nov. 4, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Iowa’s rate is second in the nation behind South Dakota.

The KGLO News listening area’s 14-day average positivity rate was at 17% this morning, up from 16.1% on Wednesday morning. Cerro Gordo County’s 14-day average was 18.4%, up from 16.9% on Wednesday. Hancock County continues to have the area’s highest 14-day average positivity rate at 23.0%.

State data shows 839 people were being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, a new high that is expected to increase in the coming days given the surge in new infections. In the north-central Iowa based medical region, there are 49 people hospitalized, five more than Wednesday.