Allamakee County reports new record COVID-19 case totals for a single day and for a week’s timeframe
Allamakee County experienced another series of record high case counts for COVID-19 this past week, reporting a new record high total for both single-day cases, as well as for the entire past week. The State of Iowa reports that 111 new cases were confirmed in the county in the past week’s timeframe dating from Tuesday, December 1 through Monday, December 7, eclipsing the previous weekly high of 108 cases from three weeks earlier and marking the third 100-plus weekly case total for Allamakee County since the pandemic began.
All three of those century-mark case totals have happened within the past four weeks, with the fourth of those weeks totaling just under 100 - 95 cases. Those past four weeks have represented the four highest weekly case totals so far for Allamakee County since case counts began in Iowa for the pandemic in March of this year.
Those new reported high points have also vaulted Allamakee County near the top five of all Iowa counties with a 14-day positivity rate of 24.1%, which is another new high reported for the county by the State of Iowa. That 14-day positivity level ranks Allamakee County seventh out of all 99 counties, as of Monday, December 7. The 14-day positivity rate is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of positive tests for the most recent 14-day period by the cumulative number of individuals tested during that same 14-day timeframe.
The State of Iowa has made some adjustments to its daily updated reporting website, www.coronavirus.iowa.gov, that now report positivity rates in a more detailed manner (see additional information in the shaded box below on this same page). Within the 14-day timeframe described above for Allamakee County, that State of Iowa website notes that all age groups experienced positive cases within the county. The youth category (ages 0-17) and the ages 40-49 age group were at the low end of that case accountability, each with nine percent of those cases, while the 50-59 age group and 60-69 age group accounted for the highest with 18% and 17% of those cases, respectively.
In addition to high case number totals, this past week also had the misfortune of having the State of Iowa confirm that two more deaths in Allamakee County have been attributed to COVID-19. Those deaths were reported by the State of Iowa Thursday, December 3 but had occurred well before that and had to undergo an investigative protocol before the State of Iowa would confirm and report them as deaths that could be attributed to COVID-19. Those two additional deaths now leave the Allamakee County total at 13 since the pandemic began.
This past week’s reported timeframe featured a new single-day high of 26 cases reported Thursday, December 3, eclipsing the previous highest single-day case count of 25 cases that has been reported three times since November 10. Prior to that single-day high, this past week began with 13 cases reported Tuesday, December 1 and 20 reported December 2. Since that Thursday high point, the daily case count for Allamakee County included 19 new cases reported Friday, December 4, a combined 29 new cases reported for the two weekend days of Saturday and Sunday, and just four cases reported Monday, December 7 since the previous Sunday evening.
As of the latest update provided by the State of Iowa, Allamakee County reported a total of five current hospitalizations due to COVID-19. That latest update had been provided Saturday afternoon, December 5 and is updated every several days by the State of Iowa.
LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES
Northgate Care Center in Waukon has seen its total case count double in the past week since its outbreak of COVID-19 cases, from 14 cases a week ago to 29 cases as of Monday, December 7. The State of Iowa reports that 26 of those cases have been confirmed within the past 14 days.
Thornton Manor in Lansing has not reported a single new positive case of COVID-19 in residents or staff in the past 14 days, remaining at its 40 cases reported. The facility also reports that 33 of those cases are now considered to be recovered.
A long term care facility can be removed from the outbreak list when it has not had a new positive case reported for a period of 28 days. Currently, there are 137 long term care facilities in the state of Iowa listed as having COVID-19 outbreaks, a number down from 156 facilities a week ago.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
The Allamakee Community School District provided its latest COVID-19 update Friday afternoon, December 4. That report indicated the school district had five students and two staff members receive positive test results within the past week. The Allamakee Community School District also reported having 25 high school students, 13 middle school students, eight East Elementary students and 11 West Elementary students under quarantine as of that December 4 update.
The Eastern Allamakee Community School District also provided an update Friday, December 4, reporting that a combination of 14 students and staff members were under quarantine as of that date. The actual number of positive cases within the district was noted to be five or fewer, according to the district’s following statement: “There are active cases in the District. Per the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) the number may not be published unless it is greater than five.”
As of Monday, December 7, the Postville Community School District is reporting 23 students either testing positive or awaiting a test result, as well as 94 students who are quarantined. The district also reported 18 staff members absent due to illness, quarantine or family considerations.
NEW QUARANTINE GUIDELINES BY CDC
At the beginning of the month of December, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released updated guideline information regarding length of quarantine for exposure to a positive COVID-19 individual. The CDC noted that local public health authorities determine and establish the quarantine options for their jurisdictions and that the CDC continues its recommendation of a quarantine period of 14 days.
However, based on local circumstances and resources, the following options to shorten quarantine are acceptable alternatives.
• Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring. With this strategy, residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about one percent with an upper limit of about 10%.
• When diagnostic testing resources are sufficient and available, then quarantine can end after Day 7 if a diagnostic specimen tests negative and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before the time of planned quarantine discontinuation (e.g., in anticipation of testing delays), but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than after Day 7.
With this strategy, the residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about five percent with an upper limit of about 12%. In both newly suggested scenarios, additional criteria (such as continued symptom monitoring and masking through Day 14) must be followed.
