Numbers from the Iowa Department of Public Heath yesterday showed 19 COVID-19 related deaths in Iowa compared with the day before, bringing the statewide total so far to 207. Of those, three deaths were in Black Hawk County, and six in Linn County…five of the six Linn County deaths were adults between 61 and 80 years of age.
State officials are now not only reporting data by county, but also by gender and race. We know that 51 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Iowa are women…and that 78 percent of those deaths are Caucasians, with the next largest group, African-Americans, at 7 percent of the total.
It’s been another blow for Iowa agriculture, the impact of the global pandemic. Yesterday during KXEL Live & Local, Iowa fourth district congressman Steve King said the waste of animals being euthanized instead of moving to a processing plant is staggering. You can hear the full interview by going to the podcast page of kxel.com.
Officials say two paramedics with West Des Moines Emergency Medical Services have tested positive for COVID-19. The service announced the first case on Monday and the second yesterday. Officials say one of the infected paramedics had transported coronavirus patients in recent weeks. It was not known whether the other paramedic had come in contact with patients infected with the virus. Both paramedics were tested on April 29, and neither have shown any symptoms. Both paramedics have been removed from duty and will remain off work for 10 days as long as they remain symptom-free.
Hy-Vee announced that effective today, they are limiting meat purchases at all their stores. The company said in a statement that while produce is available at stores, worker shortages at processing plants plus an increase in meat sales has led them to limit each customer to four packages of a combination of fresh beef, ground beef, pork and chicken.
COVID-19 outbreaks at meat processing plants have not only sickened workers, but adversely impacted the nation’s food supply chain and is proving devastating to ag producers. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Mike Naig said it’s a difficult balance to strike…meanwhile, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the state will help those plants manage their worker’s health.
Unity Point Health/Allen Hospital, Grundy County Memorial Hospital and Community Memorial Hospital will resume elective surgeries and procedures this coming Monday. Officials say the services will be reintroduced gradually with consideration given to sufficient supply of personal protective equipment, adequate intensive care resources, and testing patients for COVID-19 prior to procedures.
Another 408 positive COVID-19 test results reported yesterday, bringing the statewide total of 10,111…but there were an additional 3,000 negative tests…to date, 50,458 negative tests reported to state officials…five times as many negative tests as positive.
While COVID-19 seems to affect older and elderly Iowans more severely, statistics show that the largest demographic block of those with positive cases is adults between 18 and 40 years of age. State deputy public health director Sarah Reisetter says that’s because of enhanced testing being done at large employers.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has joined AGs from 10 other states to call for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into suspected price fixing in the beef industry. The group sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr expressing concern over the likelihood of manipulation of the market for processed beef. The four largest meatpacking companies control more than 80 percent of the beef processing in the United States. The shelf price of beef is exceptionally high, while cattle prices are low and continue to dive…the attorneys general say the pricing margins are a sign that meat packers are using their ability to control the market in violation of federal antitrust law.
