Iowa surpasses 800 COVID-19 deaths as cases keep climbing

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has surpassed 800 COVID-19 deaths, state health records showed Wednesday, as confirmed cases of the virus continued to climb.

The state health department’s virus tracking site showed that as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, there had been 10 more deaths reported in the previous 24 hours. That brought the state’s total deaths to 808 since the beginning of the outbreak. The site also showed another 374 cases confirmed from Tuesday to Wednesday, bringing the state’s total to 39,793.

As of Wednesday morning, 224 people were hospitalized for the virus — higher than what had been seen in recent weeks, but still far lower than the state’s peak of 417 on May 6.

Iowa hospitals also showed signs of being affected by the recent increases in hospitalizations. State numbers Wednesday showed 39% of the state’s hospital beds available, a drop from 44% available on Monday. The state still had 80% of the its ventilators available.

Also Wednesday, Polk County announced it would close all of its county government buildings to the public in an effort to protect employees and limit spread of the coronavirus.