Public health officials are urging Iowans who test positive for COVID-19 using an at-home rapid test to report those results to their local health department. The demand for at-home testing is rising as the highly-transmissible Omicron variant drives a spike in new infections. Nola Aigner-Davis is spokeswoman for the Polk County Public Health Department in Des Moines.
Figures released by the Iowa Department of Public Health on Monday show the number of Iowans testing positive for COVID-19 has taken a sharp upturn. More than 17,000 positive tests were reported in the last week, that’s up 37% from the previous week. In Winnebago County there were 36 confirmed cases while in Hancock County, there were 36 as well. Kossuth had 92 cases and Worth had 26. Meanwhile Cerro Gordo County had a reported 174 confirmed cases. Further south in Wright County, there were 123 cases and in Humboldt, there were 106.
Aigner-Davis says it’s important for people who test positive at home to report it.
Aigner-Davis says Iowans should continue to take precautions against COVID-19, like wearing masks and getting vaccinated, as the number of new infections is expected to further increase in coming weeks.
