Floyd County COVID-19 cases top 100 after four months

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The number of cases of COVID-19 in Floyd County since the start of the pandemic passed 100 this week after a slight spike in positive test results on Wednesday.

As of Thursday, the Iowa COVID-19 information site, coronavirus.iowa.gov, reported there have been 103 positive test results for the disease in Floyd County, after four positives were reported on Wednesday and two more on Thursday.

Since the first positive test result was reported in the county on March 20, there has been an average of 5.4 positive test results per week in the county, with the biggest spike near the end of June when there were 27 cases reported in one week.

So far there have been 2,409 COVID-19 tests given in Floyd County, so there has been an average positive result of 4.3%. The state average for positives is 9.3%.

The state tracks positive cases by population. Based on that, Floyd County has had 65.4 cases per 10,000 population, which ranks it 58th in the state.

The highest county in Iowa is Buena Vista, with 896.1 cases per 10,000 population. In this area, Wright county is fourth highest in the state with 345.9 cases per 10,000 population, and Franklin County is 11th with 199.5 cases per 10,000. Cerro Gordo is 24th, with 132.5 cases per 10,000.

The state figures show that 88 of the positive cases in Floyd County have recovered so far. There have been two deaths in the county.

The people catching COVID-19 in Floyd County have been generally older that the state averages. About 47% of the positive tests in Floyd County have been age 40 and younger, while 54% of the positive tests in the state have been in that age range.

There have been 43% of Floyd County positive test cases age 41 to 80, compared to the state average of 39% in that range.

Ten percent the coronavirus cases in Floyd County have been age 81 and older, compared to 4% average across the state.

The Iowa Department of Health advises that a face covering can help slow the spread of COVID-19 when in public.

“Ensure your mask comfortably covers your nose and mouth when putting it on,” the department says.
“Remove your mask by the straps or sides, fold together, and put into your laundry. Wash your hands before putting on and after removing your mask.”

In addition, Floyd County Public Health continues to remind people to practice social distancing as much as possible, stay home even when mildly ill, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow or upper arm, and wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.