Iowa surpasses 50,000 coronavirus cases as steady spread continues

More than 50,000 Iowans have tested positive for the coronavirus since the novel illness first started spreading across the state. 

As of 6 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, 50,003 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Iowa, according to reports from the Iowa Department of Public Health. Of those, 39,211 have recovered and 954 have died, also as of 6 a.m. Tuesday, the state was reporting that 261 are hospitalized, with 88 in ICU.

The virus continues to spread and the number of new cases reported by IDPH in recent weeks has been steady. The seven-day average of new reported cases each day has been roughly between 450 and 550 for the past month. For the seven days preceding Aug. 13, an average of 428 new cases were reported each day. The average number of reported tests has also remained consistent for the past month.

But the recent consistency may be a sign that the rate of community spread is beginning to decrease again. The state reported Iowa's 40,000th case three weeks after its 30,000th case. The jump from 40,000 to 50,000 took about the same amount of time, even though there were more active cases in the state.

How does Iowa compare its neighbors?

While slowing community spread would be a step in the right direction, more Iowans have tested positive for the virus per 1,000 residents compared to similar per capita numbers among residents of neighboring states.

Iowa's rate of 15.73 cases per 1,000 residents edges out Illinois and Nebraska for the highest rate among bordering states, according to CDC data on Aug. 12. The state ranks second behind Illinois in deaths per 1,000 residents.

Nationally, Iowa's rate of cases per 1,000 ranks 18th among the 50 states.

Where in Iowa are the coronavirus hotspots?

The areas with the most total cases are the areas with the largest populations, particularly Polk County, which recently exceeded 10,000 positive cases.

Buena Vista County has the most cases per 1,000 residents, primarily fueled by outbreaks at meatpacking plants there.

Areas that have set new highs in their seven-day average of new reported cases this month are scattered throughout the state, and include Linn, Pottawattamie and Clinton counties.

Who in Iowa is testing positive for the virus?

The share of younger people among Iowa's coronavirus cases continues to increase. While Iowa's case numbers were initially driven by people older than 60, who were more likely to be tested when testing was scarce, five months later nearly half of all cases in Iowa are people in the 18-40 age range.

From July 6:Younger adult Iowans testing positive for coronavirus at an increasing rate

Older people are still most at likely of dying from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus — nearly half of all deaths in Iowa are people older than 80.

More:Coronavirus outbreaks in Iowa's long-term care facilities have now resulted in more than 500 nursing home deaths

The coronavirus still continues to hit racial and ethnic minorities in Iowa disproportionately hard.

Census data shows that people who are Hispanic or Latino make up about 6.2% of Iowa's population, but they have accounted for 19% of the state's positive cases of coronavirus.

White people, who represent more than 90% of Iowa's population, accounted for 69% of the state's coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, Aug. 12. IDPH is still gathering race information about 17% of people who have tested positive. 

How many people had no symptoms?

About 64% of Iowans who tested positive for the virus have displayed symptoms of COVID-19, and about 13% have been asymptomatic.

Slightly less than a quarter of Iowans who have tested positive have a pre-existing condition that may make them more susceptible to the effects of COVID-19, and a little more than half do not. About a quarter of the positive tests are still under investigation for symptoms or pre-existing conditions.

What about hospitalizations and deaths?

Both the number of new hospitalizations and new deaths due to COVID-19 have been steadily increasing over the past month.

The IDPH's 14-day average of new hospitalizations has grown to 30.9 per day in the two weeks preceding Tuesday, Aug. 11, from a low point of 16.6 per day in late June.

The 14-day average of deaths has reached as high as 6.8 deaths per day on Aug. 8 — although data from recent days is likely still incomplete — up from a low of 2.9 per day in early July.

The state is approaching 1,000 total deaths. Iowa recently exceeded 500 deaths related to outbreaks in long-term care facilities.