Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa health officials said Sunday that a “significant number” of coronavirus tests were not reported over the weekend due to a backlog in the department’s electronic reporting system. The Iowa Department of Public Health said its COVID-19 website will continue to update, and noted in a news release that reported daily case counts from last week will be adjusted as it processes the backlog. KCCI-TV reported that as of 10 a.m. Sunday, the Iowa website had confirmed 661 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing to 38,564 the number of positive cases since the outbreak began. Seven additional COVID-19 deaths brought the state’s death toll to 792.
UNDATED (AP) — A legislative panel has approved a plan by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate to send absentee ballot request forms to all registered voters as he did before the June primary to help voters concerned about going to polls in person amid a coronavirus pandemic. In a proposed emergency election directive, Pate sought Friday to use federal funds to mail absentee ballot requests to active registered voters for the Nov. 3 election. Pate says a public health disaster persists. He says he’s consulted with all 99 county auditors and some say they cannot send absentee ballot request forms to voters.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped to 8% in June as the state’s economy continued to recover after being hit hard by efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday that the 8% unemployment rate was down from 10.2% in May. The number of unemployed residents dropped from 173,000 in May to 131,200 in June. Iowa’s unemployment rate remains far higher than before the coronavirus pandemic, as the jobless rate was 2.7% in June 2019. The national unemployment rate in June was 11.1%.