More than 20% of Iowa's coronavirus cases are health care workers

More than 20% of Iowa's positive COVID-19 diagnoses are from health care workers, the deputy director of the Iowa Department of Public Health said Tuesday.

The revelation comes as Iowa's number of positive tests passed 1,000 and another Iowan died from the disease. 

Sarah Reisetter, the deputy director of IDPH, said health care workers account for 22-23% of all the positive test results, underlining "why it is so important for people to stay at home, because we need to make sure that that health care workforce is protected and stays well."

Iowa, like many states, is facing a shortage of personal protective equipment. Earlier in the epidemic, officials at Iowa's largest hospital told health care workers to reuse face masks to conserve supplies. IDPH has also issued guidance on how Iowans with sewing skills can make masks to donate to health care facilities. The Iowa National Guard has since been deployed to transport shipments of personal protective equipment throughout the state.

The 12-point scale the governor's office is using as a guide for tighter or more lenient restrictions on public movement remained unchanged from Monday afternoon. It breaks Iowa into six regions based on health care resources, and if any region hits a 10, that is when stricter shelter-in-place measures will be considered.

Gov. Kim Reynolds did not say what an Iowa shelter-in-place order might look like during her Tuesday news conference. Generally, those orders are seen as the most restrictive, though Reynolds has argued current orders limiting what businesses can operate and the size of gatherings, among other rules, effectively mimics most shelter-in-place orders seen in other states.

"We are working on what that looks like, and we will be ready to go if and when we need to do that," Reynolds said.

The region that includes southeast Iowa, including Johnson County and Iowa City, is a 9; the northeast region, which includes Cedar Rapids and Linn County, and the south central region, which includes Des Moines, are both an 8. The remainder of the state is a 7 or 6 on the scale. The scale looks at age, infection rate, hospitalizations and outbreaks at long-term care facilities.

The state does not yet have its own forecasting model, Reisetter said. The state is working with the University of Iowa College of Public Health to develop a forecasting tool for coronavirus, she said.

"I don't think we have a firm projection yet from the (University of Iowa) College of Public Health in terms of when exactly we'll be able to have that but do know that we're working on and we hope to have it in the days and weeks to come," Reisetter said.

Reynolds closed more businesses and public spaces Monday as she predicted an “equally, if not more difficult,” week of the coronavirus taking its toll on the state.

Health officials — both state and federal — are warning that this week could be among the worst for new COVID-19 new cases and deaths.

As of Tuesday, 26 Iowans have died of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. There have been 1,048 positive COVID-19 tests.

Medical professionals warn that the infection rate is likely much higher than the positive diagnoses because of limited testing.

More:The latest on coronavirus in Iowa

More:Dr. Anthony Fauci applauds Iowa's coronavirus mitigation response: 'Doing a very good job'

Iowa and Nebraska are among only five states that do not have formal statewide or regional orders that residents should stay home unless they have to leave.

Nick Coltrain is a politics and data reporter for the Register. Reach him at ncoltrain@registermedia.com or at 515-284-8361. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.