Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard today (as of 10-a.m., Thursday), indicates there are 2,926 new, Positive cases of COVID-19, and 70 additional deaths. The total number of Positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic, amount to 236,792. Deaths total 2,519. The IDPH says one more death was reported in Adair and Mills Counties, and there are two more deaths in Harrison County. Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities report 1,097 deaths, and deaths attributed in-part to preexisting conditions number 1,352.

Hospitalizations statewide fell from 1,162 on Wednesday to 1,124, today. Health officials say 224 COVID patients are in an ICU, 136 were admitted, and 131 patients are on a ventilator. Hospitals in southwest/western Iowa (RMCC Region 4) report: 63 hospitalized; 17 are in an ICU; four were admitted, and eight COVID patients are on a ventilator.

Long-Term Care facility outbreaks are up again, to 169 today. The IDPH says 5,306 patients/staff have tested positive; 2,367 have tested negative. Area LTC data show: 217 cases among three facilities in Cass County, and 135 recovered; 139 cases in Harrison County (1 facility), with 120 recovered; 240 cases in Pottawattamie County (3 facilities), and 104 recovered; and, 113 cases among two facilities in Shelby County, with 23 recovered.

Iowans who have recovered from the virus number 147,152, while 1,229,582 have been tested, to-date. There were 7,190 lab results returned yesterday, with 5,609 negative results and 1,524 positive. The individual positivity rate is 19.3%, and the 14-day rolling average is down to 16.8%. Cass County’s positivity rate is up slightly, from 16.8% Wednesday to 16.9% today. A total of 990, 579 negative results have been returned since the pandemic began.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,

• Cass, 840 cases {+15}; 535 recovered; 24 deaths
• Adair, 449 {+4}; 261; 9
• Adams, 181 {+4}; 95; 2
• Audubon, 306 {+4}; 217; 2
• Guthrie, 772 {+4); 479; 15
• Harrison County, 1,112 {+6}; 770; 32
• Madison County, 717 {+4}; 437; 4
• Mills County, 1,091 {+13}; 584; 8
• Montgomery, 499 {+8}; 249; 11
• Pottawattamie County, 6,709 {+136]; 3,934; 71
• Shelby County, 798 {+12}; 480; 11
• Union County,  836 {+28}; 333; 6

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CST

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Democratic congressional candidate in Iowa who trailed by six votes after a recount says she will forgo further legal challenges in the state and appeal directly to the U.S. House of Representatives for further review. Rita Hart’s campaign had until Wednesday to contest the election under Iowa law following Monday’s certification of results in which Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks was declared the winner of the closest House race in decades. Hart’s campaign said the quick timeline for a contest in Iowa would not allow enough time to review the ballots, including thousands of unexamined undervotes and overvotes. Instead, the campaign says Hart will file a challenge with the House under the Federal Contested Elections Act in coming weeks.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A prominent law enforcement training group is promoting a lengthy research document riddled with falsehoods and conspiracies that urges local police to treat Black Lives Matter activists as terrorists plotting a violent revolution. Critics say the document distributed by the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association contains misinformation and harmful rhetoric that could incite officers against protesters and people of color. Yale University professor Phillip Atiba Goff, an expert on racial bias in policing, called the document dangerous, noting that the association is an important source of training materials for many small and midsize departments across the country.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa posted 22 additional deaths from the coronavirus, the third consecutive day of more than 20 deaths and raising the state’s death toll to 2,449. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Iowa has risen over the past two weeks from nearly 22 deaths per day on Nov. 17 to 29 deaths per day on Dec. 1. Johns Hopkins University data shows Iowa’s death count was the 21st highest per capita at 77.6 deaths per 100,000 people. More than 2,900 additional confirmed coronavirus cases were posted on Wednesday and hospitalizations remained high with 1,162 people in Iowa hospitals with COVID-19. State data shows 181 patients were admitted in the previous 24 hours, an increase from recent days.

UNDATED (AP) — U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley says he supports a federal funding package for coronavirus relief but clearly stated he doesn’t support large amounts of money to shore up state and local government budgets. The influential chair of the Senate Finance Committee talked to reporters Wednesday as negotiations picked up speed in Washington. Grassley said Congress must pass long overdue relief to help families, businesses, schools and communities. He says he could support a bill with items that have bipartisan support at around $500 billion and that he’d consider something less than $1 trillion. He resisted spending a massive amount of money for state and local government budget relief but said it likely wouldn’t cause him to reject a package including it.