Weekly number of new COVID-19 cases for Allamakee County falls to lowest total since start of October

The number of confirmed new cases of COVID-19 for Allamakee County was reported at its lowest total in five months within this past week’s reporting timeframe of Tuesday, January 26 through Monday, February 1. This week’s 18 new confirmed cases marks the lowest weekly total for Allamakee County since 11 new cases were reported by the State of Iowa as September transitioned into October this past fall, with right around 100 test results being reported for each of those timeframes as well.

As one would expect with a decrease in total new cases, Allamakee County’s 14-day positivity rate calculated by the State of Iowa also dwindled to its lowest level in quite some time, sitting right on the very lowest edge of double digits at 10% as of Monday, February 1. The State of Iowa also keeps track of county positivity rates over the past seven days, and that trend was reported at half the 14-day positivity rate at just five percent, further indicating the recent downward trend in new cases.

Additional statistical updates from this past week provided a bit of irony in another pair of numbers, as the State of Iowa’s most recent update of hospitalizations provided Saturday, January 30 showed the positive news of no hospitalizations in Allamakee County due to COVID-19.

However, tainting this past week’s overall update is the unfortunate news released over the weekend that seven additional deaths in Allamakee County have been confirmed as being attributed to the virus, boosting that number to 37 total deaths of Allamakee County residents being associated with COVID-19. The State of Iowa lists the virus as the underlying cause of death in 32 of those fatalities and as a contributing factor in the other five local deaths.

NURSING HOMES
Both Good Samaritan Society facilities in Waukon and Postville continued to be the only long-term care facilities in Allamakee County included on the State of Iowa’s outbreak list this past week, as new cases continued to be confirmed in each facility within the past 14 days. Good Samaritan Society-Postville reported four new cases within its facility within the past 14 days in its total of 46 cases, with 36 of those Postville facility cases also now being listed as recovered.

Good Samaritan Society-Waukon reported six new confirmed cases within its facility within the past 14 days in its overall total of 16 confirmed cases. As of Monday, February 1, none of those confirmed cases in the Waukon facility have been listed as recovered.

SCHOOLS
In its most recent update provided Friday, January 29, the Allamakee Community School District reported that the district had no students and two staff members test positive within the week prior. The school also reported that a combined 14 students and staff members were on quarantine protocol as of that January 29 update.

In its daily updated report spreadsheet, the Eastern Allamakee Community School District has reported no students or staff members have tested positive and none were quarantined as of its last update Thursday, January 28. The Postville Community School District listed the range of one to six positive COVID-19 tests among students in the district during this past week, with 10 students listed as quarantined as of Friday, January 29 and a range of one to six staff members also being listed that day as being absent from school due to either a positive test or quarantine.

CASES PER DAY THIS PAST WEEK
This past week’s lowest total case count in five months saw no more than six new cases confirmed for any of the week’s seven days. Four new cases were reported Tuesday, January 26, with back-to-back days of just one new case reported both Wednesday and Thursday, and just two cases reported Friday, January 29. The weekend saw the highest single-day count of six cases emerge Saturday before Sunday lowered to just three cases, with just one case being reported again Monday, February 1.