The Iowa Department of Public health Friday, reported 459 new COVID-19 positive tests, and 18 additional deaths, including one in each of Audubon, Mills and Montgomery Counties, and two in Pottawattamie County (See the County-by-County-data below). This latest round of recorded COVID-related deaths bring the statewide total for the pandemic, to 5,980. The health department reports 397,132 total positive tests since the start of the pandemic. The state’s 14-day positivity rate is 3.8%, and the seven-day positivity rate is 3.7%.

COVID hospitalizations across the state are nearly steady. As of Friday, there were 189 hospitalized, 43 persons in an ICU, 44 people were admitted, and 16 were on a ventilator. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western/southwest Iowa), there are 14 COVID patients hospitalized; three remain in an ICU; four people were admitted, and two people remain on a ventilator.

There have been more than 2.4-million doses of a COVID vaccine administered in Iowa, with 1.14-million persons having completed their respective vaccination series.

The state reports there are now two Long-Term Care Facility Outbreaks. Those are at the New Hampton Nursing and Rehab Center in northeast Iowa, and Urbandale Health Care Center. Combined, they have 22 positive cases among residents and staff,  with 18 total recoveries. The state reports 2,323 care facility deaths since the pandemic began.

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, 1,460 cases; {+2}; 54 deaths
Adair, 982; {+0}; 32
Adams, 349 {+1}; 4
Audubon, 526 {+0}; 10
Guthrie, 1,290 {+0}; 29
Harrison County, 1,925; {+1}; 73
Madison County, 1,746; {+2; 19
Mills County, 1,781; {+0}; 22
Montgomery, 1,106;{+1}; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,161; {+20}; 168
Shelby County, 1,364 {+0}; 37
Union County, 1,362; {+2}; 32

(Radio Iowa) – Pandemic restrictions are being relaxed in some areas after more than a year, and optimistic Iowans are responding by planning summer vacations to destinations near and far. Hamilton County Public Health director Shelby Kroona, says to do your homework first and make certain visitors are being accepted before you buy plane tickets. “It’s really important to know where you’re traveling, especially if you’re going international,” Kroona says. “Some of those countries are going to start to open up to us. Europe is talking about letting Americans come and travel this summer, same with cruises and different things.”

Even some places in the U-S aren’t exactly safe from COVID-19, as she notes Oregon is experiencing a spike in cases at the moment. “Go online, look at the health departments for those states and there’ll be information on there if that is a hotspot right now,” Kroona says. “If you can delay, then plan that into your trip. Be thinking ahead of where you’re going and knowing what that state requires, because different states have different requirements.” No matter where you’re planning to go, researching options in advance is key and Kroona says the Centers for Disease Control is a good clearinghouse. “If you go to the CDC website,” she says, “there’s a wonderful travel page and it will give you all of the up-to-date guidelines for that particular country.”

For domestic vacations, even getaways to other parts of Iowa, she says smart travelers will familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations before venturing forth. “If you’re flying or using mass transportation, buses, subways, taxicabs, Uber or Lyft, all of those, even if you’re fully vaccinated, you will be required to wear a mask,” Kroona says. “It is in your best interest on some of these smaller things, like Uber and Lyft, just because you don’t know if the person driving has been vaccinated or not.”

It was announced this week that Broadway theaters in New York will reopen in September to 100-percent capacity since being closed over a year ago. All of the COVID travel facts can be found at cdc.gov.

Police in Creston report 45-year-old Kevin Eugene Early, of Creston, was arrested recently at the Dollar General Store, on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Early was cited for the offense and released at the scene, on a Summons to Appear in court.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa House of Representatives have sent a bill to the governor that would ban certain topics from government diversity trainings and school lessons. The original bill referred to a list of divisive concepts that would be off-limits. The bill was adjusted to say teaching about slavery, sexism, segregation and racial discrimination are fine, but teaching that the state and country are fundamentally or systemically racist is banned. Representative Steven Holt is a Republican from Denison.  “We don’t have to use racism to teach against racism,” Holt said. “We don’t need to have to be racist and scapegoat entire groups of people in order to teach against racism.”

Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says Republicans made cosmetic, but not substantive changes to the bill. “It doesn’t make what was-in my opinion, and I think the opinion of many, many people, a very problematic bill any better,” she said. Wolfe and other Democrats say the policy could prevent implicit bias training and limit discussions of systemic racism.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katarina Sostaric)