(Radio Iowa) – The Covid patient count in Iowa hospitals hit another high last (Thursday) night: 912. That’s a 22 percent jump from November 1st. There was also a significant increase in the daily count of newly identified Covid cases in Iowa, with 44 percent of those being tested getting a positive result. Dr. Suresh Gunasekaran is C-E-O of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

“It is not a good trend,” he says. “…The fact that number is increasing is very troubling.” The University of Iowa Hospitals operates a testing clinic for Covid and other flu-like illnesses. More than a thousand people were tested at the clinic Wednesday — the highest one-day total ever — and Dr. Gunasekaran says they will double staffing at that testing site.

“We’re moving some pretty significant numbers from one area to another in order to make this happen,” he says. Twenty-seven hospital staff tested positive for Covid on Wednesday. Anticipating a continuing surge of Covid patients, the hospital in Iowa City will expand its intensive care unit on November 16th, with the possibility of doubling it to 200 beds if needed. Dr. Gunasekaran says it appears there is substantial exhaustion among Iowans about taking simple steps, like wearing a mask in public, to reduce the spread of the virus.

“The fact that this infection rate is so high, that it is so robust across all Iowa communities means that enough Iowans are not taking this seriously,” he says. He says public health officials are looking for innovative ways to combat that exhaustion and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed with Covid patients. Governor Reynolds announced yesterday (Thursday) she would launch a new public awareness campaign next week.

A pursuit on Interstate 29 in Pottawattamie County Thursday night, ended with a crash and a Montgomery County woman being injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2010 Mazda MZ-6 driven by 21-year old Alexa Raye Prichard, of Red Oak, was actively attempting to elude law enforcement while traveling west on I-29 at the 53-mile marker, when the car went out of control and entered the north ditch.

The vehicle rolled several times, causing Prichard to the ejected. She was not wearing a seat belt. The accident happened at around 9:36-p.m.

The Patrol says Prichard was transported by Council Bluffs Rescue to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she was reported to be critical condition. The accident remains under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Small numbers of outstanding mail ballots are arriving after the election in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, where the candidates remain locked in a tight race. In unofficial returns, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leads Democrat Rita Hart by 282 votes out of 393,000 tabulated. The candidates are competing for a seat that opened with the retirement of Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack. Iowa will count absentee ballots that were postmarked by Monday and arrive by noon Nov. 9 and any provisional ballots that are deemed eligible. Johnson County has received 28 absentee ballots thus far that have yet to be counted. Two other counties carried by Hart _ Clinton and Jefferson _ have a combined total of 18 absentee ballots to be counted.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — President Trump received more than 70% of the votes cast on Election Day in Iowa, easily overcoming Joe Biden’s substantial lead among those who voted early. Unofficial results show Trump captured Iowa’s six electoral votes by winning more than 53% of the vote, defeating Joe Biden by about 138,700 votes. A record number of people voted early in person and through the mail. Those voters heavily favored Biden. Trump entered Election Day facing a deficit of 161,000 votes but ended up picking up about 300,000. Only 704,000 votes were cast at polling places Tuesday, a 230,000 decrease from 2016 as voters embraced other voting options.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — A judge has found an Ottumwa woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter, rather than murder, in the death of her 5-year-old daughter. Kelsie Thomas was charged with first-degree murder in the 2018 death of her daughter at their home. Her first trial ended in a hung jury. After a two-week bench trial last month, Judge Lucy Gamon on Thursday convicted Thomas of the lesser charge. KTVO reports Thomas initially told authorities her daughter accidentally hung herself but later confessed to killing her. Gamon ruled that Thomas’ actions were horrific but she did not find evidence of premeditation, which is required for first-degree murder.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is launching a media campaign to encourage people to take action to reduce the state’s surging number of coronavirus infections but will not impose any mandates or enforce new rules. Reynolds also said Thursday that the success of Republican candidates in the general election was proof that most Iowans support her decision to not require masks and quickly end most restrictions on businesses. Reynolds says the media campaign would begin next week and would include newspaper, television and radio advertising. She spoke on a day when there were 4,562 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours and 20 more deaths.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Small numbers of outstanding mail ballots are arriving after the election in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, where the candidates remain locked in a tight race. In unofficial returns, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leads Democrat Rita Hart by 282 votes out of 393,000 tabulated. The candidates are competing for a seat that opened with the retirement of Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack.

Iowa will count absentee ballots that were postmarked by Monday and arrive by noon Nov. 9 and any provisional ballots that are deemed eligible. Johnson County has received 28 absentee ballots thus far that have yet to be counted. Two other counties carried by Hart _ Clinton and Jefferson _ have a combined total of 18 absentee ballots to be counted.

A young man from Shenandoah was injured during a rollover accident Wednesday afternoon about two-miles east of Shenandoah. The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports 18-year-old Collin James Johnson became trapped in his vehicle and was extricated before being transported by the Shenandoah Ambulance to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries. The accident happened at around 4-p.m., near the intersection of C Avenue and 190th.

An investigation determined Johnson was driving a 2004 Chevy pickup eastbound on 190th, just east of the intersection of C Avenue, when for unknown reasons, the vehicle dropped off the south side of the traveled portion of the roadway. Johnson over corrected while trying to bring the pickup back on the traveled portion of the road, causing the vehicle to cross the westbound lane and dropped off the north side of the traveled portion of the roadway.

Johnson over-corrected the vehicle again, trying to bring it back on the traveled portion of the roadway. The pickup then crossed both lanes of the road and entered the east ditch, where it overturned and damaged a fences owned by Carl Boylan, of rural Shenandoah.

Damage to Johnson’s vehicle is estimated at $7,000.Damage to Boylan’s fence is estimated at $200. The Page County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Shenandoah Ambulance Service, the Shenandoah Fire Department, and the Page County Emergency Management Director.

No citations have been issued.

HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — Human remains found inside a submerged car have been identified as an Iowa man who went missing more than seven years ago. The Des Moines Register reported Thursday that the remains found in water near the town of Hampton were those of 22-year-old Ethan Kazmerzak.

He was last seen on Sept. 15, 2013. Kazmerzak’s car was found Oct. 26 by a dive team. Franklin County Sheriff Aaron Dodd said details about how the vehicle and Kazmerzak ended up in the water will be released after the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s office concludes its investigation.

DES MOINES - Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today announced the launch of the new Iowa Movie Theatre Relief Program. The program will provide short-term relief to eligible movie theatres for the purpose of continuing or resuming operations in the context of the public health emergency.

“Throughout this pandemic, we have worked to find a balance to protect the lives and livelihoods of Iowans,” said Gov. Reynolds. “In so many small towns and rural communities, a movie theater can be the lifeblood of main street. This program will assist movie theaters in their day-to-day operations alleviating some of the economic strain they are seeing as a result of virus mitigation and social distancing practices.”

The Iowa Movie Theatre Relief Fund will provide up to $10,000 per screen to assist the nearly 150 movie theatres housing approximately 550 screens in Iowa with operational expenses. The state has allocated up to $5.5 million of federal CARES Act funds for the program. This statewide program, an extension of the Small Business Relief Grant program, is offered through the IEDA.

To be eligible for a grant, the applicant must demonstrate that it:

• Operates movie screen(s) in Iowa showing films open to all ages
• Conducted regularly scheduled screenings in Iowa in Calendar Year 2019
• Was subject to limitations or restrictions described in a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued by Gov. Reynolds on or after March 17, 2020, or it has not been able to host screenings in Iowa between March 17, 2020, and the submission date of the application for assistance through the Fund
• Incurred a revenue loss in Calendar Year 2020 due to the pandemic as compared with Calendar Year 2019

Theatres with corporate ownership based outside of Iowa, with additional screens outside of Iowa, must use this grant for their Iowa-based screens and/or operations. Submissions will only be accepted via online submission. The application window will open on Monday, November 9, and close at 5 p.m. on Monday, November 16, 2020.

For a full list of eligibility requirements, additional information, and to apply, visit iowabusinessrecovery.com. Application questions should be directed to theatrerelief@iowaeda.com.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The amount of water being released into the Missouri River from a key dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border will be reduced later this month. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that the amount of water flowing out of Gavins Point Dam will be reduced starting on Nov. 22 by about 3,000 cubic feet per second each day until reaching a winter release rate of about 17,000 cubic feet per second.

That’s down significantly from the reduction seen a year earlier, after heavy rain and snow melt in the spring of 2019 sent the river to record levels and flooded parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — President Trump received more than 70% of the votes cast on Election Day in Iowa, easily overcoming Joe Biden’s substantial lead among those who voted early. Unofficial results show Trump captured Iowa’s six electoral votes by winning more than 53% of the vote, defeating Joe Biden by about 138,700 votes. A record number of people voted early in person and through the mail. Those voters heavily favored Biden.

Trump entered Election Day facing a deficit of 161,000 votes but ended up picking up about 300,000. Only 704,000 votes were cast at polling places Tuesday, a 230,000 decrease from 2016 as voters embraced other voting options.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds held her weekly Press Conference Thursday morning, via social media. During her session, she spoke about the elections and COVID-19. Reynolds said Iowa is not alone in the seeing a marked increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations.

She said increased testing capacity, vaccines on the horizon and other government solutions to the problem, are not enough to stop or slow the spread of the virus.

Reynolds said she understands Iowan’s and all Americans are experiencing “Pandemic Fatigue” with restrictions that remain, and the constant, daily reports showing the increasingly higher numbers of deaths and hospitalizations.

She says the last nine months have taken a toll on healthcare workers in additional Iowans in general.

Reynolds said the State will begin a sweeping Public Service campaign reminding Iowans to “Step-up and Stop” the spread of COVID-19.