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The Iowa Department of Public Health is still investigating the state’s eight presumed cases of COVID-19, and officials say they don’t yet see a need to share details of where those people have been.
Seven people in Johnson County and one person in Pottawattamie County tested presumptively positive for the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The Johnson County cases are in people who all went on a recent cruise in Egypt. The Pottawattamie case is in someone who traveled to California.
State Medical Director Doctor Caitlin Pedati says disease investigators are working on the cases. She says they don’t currently see a need to warn Iowans about avoiding any specific places in the state.
“We always balance the respect and privacy of individuals with sharing information that the public needs to know, to act on to protect their health. And so again, as we learn more, if there are important messages that we need to share, we’ll certainly do that.”
Pedati says it’s very important to cover your cough, wash your hands, and stay home when sick. And people with fever, cough, and breathing trouble should call their health care provider.
As the number of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, continues to grow, the economy is responding.
Stock markets and oil prices have been volatile and President Donald Trump has suggested the federal government may take steps to lessen the economic burden. Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, says Congress has a couple of options. Grassley says his committee is just beginning the conversation and stock market dips would not be enough to prompt a response.
