Despite highest single-day case count of 14, Allamakee County shows lower number for the week of confirmed positive cases of COVID-19

Public Health officials warn that community spread continues, mitigation measures need to be followed

The number of confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 infection in Allamakee County for the past week’s timeframe showed a bit of a decrease from the same timeframe a week prior, down to 27 new cases reported from Tuesday, April 28 through Monday, May 4 following a high of 32 cases reported the week prior. That decrease comes in spite of the county reporting its highest single-day total of new positive cases since the pandemic began, that single-day high of 14 new cases in Allamakee County being reported Tuesday, April 28 but ultimately being the product of some correcting of reported numbers in the northeast Iowa area from the week prior.

According to Allamakee County Public Health officials, a majority of those 14 cases reported April 28 were the result of a correction in reporting results within the appropriate county from targeted testing that took place the week prior in northeast Iowa. It was initially reported that positive test results in Winneshiek County had doubled over the weekend preceding that April 28 date as a result of more than a dozen new positive tests, but Winneshiek County Public Health Nursing Administrator Krista Vanden Brink reported to the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors at the board’s Monday, April 27 meeting that those results that came from a targeted testing site at the Lynch Livestock facility in Decorah were errantly recorded among Winneshiek County’s numbers when a majority of those who received a positive result from that testing location live in neighboring counties.

“Testing was done at two sites in northeast Iowa last week and some of the test results were mistakenly initially listed as being residents of Winneshiek County when, in fact, they are Allamakee residents,” confirmed Sheryl Mooney of Allamakee County Public Health in a statement relayed early last week.

With more than half of this past week’s confirmed positive cases for Allamakee County coming from that April 28 adjustment, the remaining 13 cases within the county this past week were spread out over the other six days of the week and included three days with just one new positive case reported. However, the county once again reported at least one case during each day of this past week to extend a current streak of 19 consecutive days with at least one new case confirmed for the county, prompting Allamakee County officials to reinforce the importance of continuing to practice the appropriate mitigation measures being used as the best means to help control the spread of the virus.

“It’s important for residents and businesses in Allamakee County to remember COVID-19 is still spreading in our community,” said Lisa Moose of Allamakee County Public Health. “We aren’t out of the woods yet. There is still a lot of work to be done, so we need everyone to continue practicing social distancing and other public health recommendations to slow the spread of the virus.”

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY CASES
According to information maintained and reported by the State of Iowa on its daily updated website, www.coronavirus.iowa.gov, more than half of Allamakee County’s confirmed cases - 50 of its 99 - have come in the age group of 18-40 years of age, with 38 others coming in the 41-60 years of age range. All 27 of this past week’s confirmed cases were in those two age ranges, considered to be the “working age” ranges, with 18 of this past week’s 27 cases being in that 18-40 age group to push Allamakee County slightly ahead of the state of Iowa’s average of 41.2% of confirmed positive cases being in individuals 18-40 years of age.

Following that Tuesday, April 28 new single-day high of 14 reported cases that consisted of 10 adults (ages 18-40) and four middle age adults (41-60), two cases reported Wednesday, April 29 were evenly split between those two age groups. Consecutive days of just one case reported for each of Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1 were also evenly split between the 18-40 and 41-60 age groups. The weekend saw a bit of an uptick with three cases reported Saturday, May 2 - all in adults 18-40 years old, with five cases reported Sunday, May 3 including two 18-40 year-olds and three middle age adults ages 41-60. Monday, May 4 returned to just a single reported case, again in the 18-40 age range, leaving the Allamakee County case total on the brink of the triple-digit threshold with 99 reported cases through Monday, May 4.

Within those 99 cases, nearly two-thirds of those cases - 63 total - are now listed as “Recovered/Off Isolation”, a number that more than doubled this past week among the previously recorded Allamakee County cases. Four cases in that overall total are listed as currently being hospitalized as of Monday, May 4, with 29 more being listed as recovering in self-isolation at home. All three of the Allamakee County deaths linked to the COVID-19 pandemic have come within the first month of what is approaching two months since the first positive case was officially reported in the county March 15.

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY STILL UNDER STRICTER GUIDELINES
Allamakee County remains as one of the 22 counties in the state of Iowa not having the State of Iowa’s original mitigation restrictions removed under Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Monday, April 27 Proclamation. Governor Reynolds extended those original mitigation measures until May 15 for those 22 Iowa counties based on increasing case count and lack of stabilization in that count, along with number of hospitalizations and other metrics.

Those 22 counties include both Allamakee and Fayette in the four-county corner of northeast Iowa, with Winneshiek and Clayton counties both being included in the other 77 counties that had some of those guideline restrictions reduced beginning this past Friday, May 1. Those lightened restrictions included allowing restaurants, fitness facilities, libraries, malls and other retail establishments to reopen at 50% of their patron capacity while keeping social distancing measures in place.

That newly established May 15 deadline for the 22 counties that have been kept under the State’s original restrictions will continue to be evaluated for further extension or discontinuation, depending upon continued assessment of case numbers and other qualifying metrics. Enforcement of abiding by those restrictions has been a topic of discussion on many levels, and on behalf of area law enforcement agencies, the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office released further information on such area enforcement measures as printed in the shaded box accompanying this article below.