Another Wapello resident dies from coronavirus

Ottumwa Courier - 1/2/2021

Jan. 2—OTTUMWA — Another area resident has died from the coronavirus, according to new data from the state public health department Saturday.

The Iowa Department of Public Health added the deaths of 48 more Iowans to its coronavirus data dashboard between Friday and Saturday. One of those deaths was a person from Wapello County.

The new death raises the county's pandemic death toll to 92.

An analysis of the state's data shows the person was a male over the age of 80 with pre-existing conditions.

None of the deaths reported Saturday occurred in the last 24 hours. Death reports lag by days and weeks as officials confirm them. In the case of Saturday, some deaths were delayed by months.

New deaths added by the state public health department were backdated as far back as May 12. There were 38 deaths backdated to October. The most recent death from today's reporting was from Dec. 12.

So far in the pandemic, 3,946 Iowans have died from the coronavirus, according to state data.

There were 709 new cases of COVID-19 reported between Friday and Saturday, with 2,056 new individuals tested for the virus. There were 1,990 new recoveries reported.

There were 12 new cases in Monroe County, six in Jefferson, four in Appanoose, two in Wapello and one in Van Buren. Davis County added no new cases between Friday and Saturday.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state were roughly level, decreasing by three patients to 572 as of Saturday morning. Intensive care unit usage was up slightly from the prior day to 119. There were 88 new admissions in the last 24 hours.

Kyle Ocker is the group editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.

___

Visit the Ottumwa Courier (Ottumwa, Iowa) at www.ottumwacourier.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.