Atlantic, IA — Officials with Cass County Public Health said Tuesday (today), according to the latest data available at coronavirus.iowa.gov, at least 1,504 residents of Cass County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far. Of those, at least 519 have received both doses. Cass County Public Health Director Beth Olsen said “As a county, we’re making progress with more than 1,500 residents having at least one dose so far. That’s great news, but it’s still disappointing that everyone who is eligible to receive a vaccine can’t readily get it. We have almost 3,000 eligible people in Phase 1 B waiting, and not nearly enough vaccine yet for everyone.”

Olsen acknowledged “This is frustrating for the public – it’s frustrating for us, too. If I had 3,000 vaccines today – I am sure that I could have them used up within the week. Unfortunately, we are only getting a small amount at a time. The good news is that we found out on Friday that we should expect to receive up to 300 doses each week for the duration of February.” Many residents have signed up online or called in to be added to the 1B list, and many may be wondering why they have yet to receive a call for an appointment.

According to Olsen, “We’re doing our best to vaccinate all of the eligible populations, and we’re relying on guidance from the state about how to allocate the doses that we have. We ask for everyone to be patient as we move through this process together. Please know if you have signed up already there is nothing more you need to do, and we will call and set up an appointment when we have sufficient vaccine available.”

If you are eligible for Phase 1A or Tier 1 of Phase 1B, and you have not yet signed up, take the survey at casshealth.org/covidvaccine or call (712) 243-3250 and press 7. Due to the staffing demands of the vaccination effort, Cass County Public Health turned over contact tracing to the Iowa Department of Public Health on February 3, 2021. Olsen says “This was not a decision that we took lightly. There are four of us who have been conducting contact tracing seven days a week for nearly 10 months now. With our vaccine effort just starting to really ramp up, we have to prioritize our local staff resources to administer the vaccines.”

IDPH conducts contact tracing for more than two-thirds of Iowa’s counties. The state’s contact tracing efforts operate differently than when it was under local control; notably, the state will not contact schools or employers about positive cases. “This puts some of the responsibility back to our residents, local schools, and employers in terms of managing exposures, quarantines, and return dates. Again, we each have a role to play in minimizing the spread of this disease, and we thank everyone for being cooperative and doing what’s needed to keep our community healthy,” said Olsen.

Until vaccine is widely available to all, it is crucial that Iowans continue to practice the mitigation measures that can slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
• Wearing a mask or face covering
• Practice social distancing with those outside your household
• Clean your hands frequently with soap and water
• Stay home if you feel sick
More information about coronavirus in Iowa can be found at coronavirus.iowa.gov.

The Iowa Department of Public Health, Tuesday, reported 713 new cases of the COVID-19 virus since the previous 24-hour cycle, for a pandemic total of 325,379 positive cases. There were also 35 additional deaths reported since 10-a.m. Monday, for a total of 5,145. In our area, there were two more deaths in Madison County, and one each in Pottawattamie and Union Counties.

Statewide, 4,650 COVID deaths are attributed to underlying causes, COVID is a contributing factor in 495 deaths, and deaths at Long-Term Care (LTC) Centers account for 2,098 of the total deaths statewide.

Long-Term Care facility outbreaks are down, from 43 on Monday to 35 Tuesday. LTC patients testing positive amount to 941, with 599 having recovered from the virus. COVID-19 hospitalization data show 327 are hospitalized (compared to 318 previously), 67 patients are in an ICU, 40 were admitted, and 29 patients are on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa), 16 are hospitalized with COVID symptoms, nine are in an ICU, two people were admitted since Monday, and three people remain on a ventilator.

Iowa’s statewide positivity rate is down slightly. The 14-day positivity rate is 8.5% compared to 8.8% on Monday. The 7-day average is down from 6.6% Monday to 6.2% Tuesday.   A total of 296,440 Iowans have recovered from the virus.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,210 cases; {+3}; 46 deaths
• Adair, 721; {+0}; 25
• Adams, 313; {+0}; 3
• Audubon, 446 {+1}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,065 {+0}; 27
• Harrison County, 1,636; {+0}; 67
• Madison County, 1,346; {+9}; 15
• Mills County, 1,431; {+2}; 20
• Montgomery, 944; {+6}; 34
• Pottawattamie County, 9,485; {+20}; 136
• Shelby County, 1,116; {+4}; 32
• Union County,  1,157; {+0}; 31

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa public health officials have selected Microsoft to develop an online vaccine scheduling system as they seek to improve the state’s low national rankings for the rate of doses administered. The Iowa Department of Public Health on Monday posted notice online that it intends to award an emergency contract to the well-known software company. The agency told bidders that it would award a separate contract to run a vaccine call center later this week.

The selection of Microsoft came after the agency last week gave potential bidders one day to respond to an emergency request for proposals seeking work.

The Audubon City Council held their regular monthly meeting, Monday evening. City Clerk Joe Foran says they held a Public Hearing on the Maximum Tax Levy, during which there were no comments from the public.

Foran said the maximum amount is $928,324. That breaks down to an overall levy of $20.63 per thousand dollars valuation. He said also, the City of Audubon is looking at changing its ordinance and setting fees for fire service charges.

The fees will help to pay for bunker gear and other necessary equipment. The fee will based upon a schedule that covers the type of service provided.

The Council set their next meeting on March 8^th as a Public Hearing on the FY22 Budget. Joe Foran says in other business, the Council approved the bid letting for the water project, awarded the mowing and cemetery contracts that were coming due, and passed a Resolution setting the policy and fees for Police information. And, the Audubon City Council appointed Tracey Armentrout to the Board of Adjustment.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Creston Police say a woman reported Monday morning, that sometime overnight Sunday into early Monday morning, someone broke the door handle off of her vehicle, while it was parked in front of the woman’s residence, located in the 1500 block of N. Lincoln Street. The damage was estimated at $70.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Atlantic Public Library’s Board of Trustees met via Zoom Monday evening. During their session, the Board reviewed and approved the library’s revised “Sex Offender against Minors Policy”. According to State law, a sex offender is not allowed on the property – period. The only change to the local policy, was removing the word “Loiter,” because it is redundant.

The Board also discussed future capital improvements. Library Director Michelle Andersen said she thought of some more items to put on their list, as money allows.

(The meeting room, and window shades to eliminate glare on the computer screens are some of the top 5.)

Andersen said she asked her staff what their Top 5 items they’d like to have done, and prioritize their lists. She told them in advance not to include computer cables, because she has already written a grant for that. The big 3 include redoing the OPAC [Online Public Access Catalog] station, a new circulation desk, paint and flooring. A drinking fountain replacement will eventually be in the operating budget – just not this year. The fountain in question has a bit of “Constant dribble.” It doesn’t run onto the floor, but it does tend to run to the drain.

Andersen is applying for various grants to help with some projects, such as the paint and flooring. She told the Trustees that even with generous donations from local organizations, funding is being reduced for their summer programs. She says they will try and live with just a little slimmer budget. She said also Cass County Libraries are exploring together, is the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which sends an age appropriate book each month to children, until their 5^th birthday. The program will cost an estimated $1,000 to $2,000 the first year. By the time they been in it for 5 to- 6 years, the cost will likely be around $10,000-$12,000.

The program is not to be ready ready until sometime next year.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating the robbery early this (Tuesday) morning, of a Walgreens store. Officers were dispatched at around 3:14-a.m. to the store at 2508 West Broadway Street. Upon arrival, they were informed that an unknown black male, 18-to 25-years of age, wearing a black hooded coat, gray sweatpants, black facemask and white shoes, entered the store and walked to the back.

The man then went to the register and grabbed a bag of Cheetos. He then went around the counter and took a knife out of his pocket and told the clerk to open the drawer and put the money in a bag. The suspect fled the store on foot, with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Anyone who may have witnessed, driven by the area, or who has any information pertaining to the crime is being asked to call the Council Bluffs Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.

(Radio Iowa) – A major credit card company has reached a settlement to resolve a claim it overcharged interest. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced Citibank will pay around 14-hundred Iowa customers refunds totaling 216-thousand dollars. Iowa and four other states alleged Citibank failed to properly reevaluate and reduce the annual percentage rate for certain consumer credit card accounts consistent with federal law from February 2011 to August 2017.

The attorney general will be distributing refunds and those eligible do not need to take any action to receive their refunds Those who have questions can call toll free: 855-914-4657. Four other states are also getting refunds with the total payout by Citibank of four-point-two million dollars.

Citibank officials, Tuesday, issued the following statement to KJAN:

“As Citi previously disclosed in early 2018, we self-identified, self-reported and corrected issues with APR rate re-evaluations as required by Regulation Z of the CARD Act. When we reviewed our implementation of the regulation, we identified a small portion of credit card accounts that received impermissible rate increases. We resolved the matter with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, refunded customers, and completed a comprehensive internal review to ensure our practices meet regulatory requirements.

Today, Citi has voluntarily signed an agreement with five states totaling $4.2 million in which the states will provide certain consumers with payments related to this legacy issue. The states will administer and distribute payments at their discretion. While Citi denies violating the states’ consumer protection laws, we are pleased to put this matter behind us.”