DES MOINES, Iowa (KTIV) -- Iowa health officials are reporting 467 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 6,843.
As of April 29, health officials say 2,428 of Iowa's COVID-19 cases have recovered. That's about 35% of all of the state's confirmed cases.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there have been 12 additional deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 148.
The IDPH says these deaths were reported between April 27 and April 28 and occurred in the following counties:
Officials say out of the 41,337 Iowans tested for COVID-19, 34,494 of them have come back negative.
In northwest Iowa, designated as RMCC Region 3 by state officials, there are currently 50 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Iowa health officials say 16 of those patients were admitted within the last 24 hours.
Of those 50 patients, officials say 21 are in intensive care units, that's an increase of four since Tuesday's report. There are also 18 patients now on ventilators, on Tuesday officials reported 15 northwest Iowa patients were on ventilators.
As of April 29, officials say northwest Iowa still has 528 inpatient beds, 57 ICU beds and 39 ventilators available.
ELKHORN
Walworth County has seen another rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases, jumping from 140 reported Monday to 158 in the countys latest update shared Tuesday afternoon.
County health officials on Monday said the increase seen over the weekendfrom 116 on Fridays updateis linked to increased testing following recent outbreaks at facilities in the county.
There are 100 patients isolating themselves at their homes, while four are hospitalized.
The county has seen 46 patients recover, up from 41 in Mondays update.
The death toll remains at eight, all of whom were older than 65. Five of the eight were older than 80.
All had pre-existing medical conditions.
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COVID-19 has already hurt a lot of Americans financially, and with cases still popping up by the thousands, it's clear that life may need to stay on hold longer than we'd like it to. That's bad news from an economic standpoint, because the longer businesses stay closed and Americans remain out of work, the harder our recovery will be.
Thankfully, there's some relief to be had in the form of the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act -- namely, one-time $1,200 stimulus payments that have already started going out to desperate Americans, boosts in unemployment benefits, small business funding, and more relaxed rules with regard to retirement plan withdrawals.
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Normally, removing money from an IRA or 401(k) prior to age 59 1/2 results in a 10% early withdrawal penalty (though there are some exceptions). Under the CARES Act, however, you can now withdraw up to $100,000 from your retirement plan penalty-free if you've been negatively affected by COVID-19. But here are three reasons it's unwise to go that route.
You're no doubt aware that any money you remove from your IRA or 401(k) today is money you won't have on hand once retirement rolls around. But you may be surprised at how a seemingly modest withdrawal results in a much greater loss over time.
The money you have in a retirement plan generally doesn't just sit in cash. Rather, it's invested for added growth. And if you load up on stocks in your IRA or 401(k), you're likely to generate an average annual 7% return over time, since that's a few percentage points below the market's average.
Now, let's say you withdraw $10,000 from your retirement plan today to pay some near-term bills. If you're 35 years away from leaving the workforce, you'll actually end up losing out on almost $107,000 in retirement income when we factor in that 7% return. And that's a lot of money to give up.
Being in debt isn't fun, and in some cases, it can be costly. But before you raid your retirement plan, it does pay to explore the low-cost borrowing options you may be privy to.
If you own a home you have equity in, a home equity loan or line of credit is fairly easy to qualify for, and you generally won't be charged an exorbitant amount of interest on either. If you don't own a home, you can look at getting a personal loan -- a viable option if your credit is strong.
All of these options allow you to use your loan proceeds for any purpose, and they're worth looking into if you're struggling. And in many cases, the interest you pay on one of these loans will be less than the return your retirement plan generates.
If your income has taken a hit in the past month and change, you may be having a hard time keeping up with your bills. But before you withdraw money from your retirement savings to cover them, talk to the people you owe money to and ask for some leeway. Your mortgage lender may agree to let you put your home loan into forbearance for a period of time, thereby effectively pausing payments on it. Meanwhile, you may be given more time to pay your auto loan, internet bill, or electric company. It never hurts to reach out and ask for help, and doing so could help you avoid an early retirement plan withdrawal -- or perhaps enable you to remove less money than you initially planned on.
Let's be clear: If you really have no choice but to remove money from your IRA or 401(k) to pay for your basic needs, then there's no need to beat yourself up for it. Many people have been thrust into a desperate situation because of COVID-19, which is why penalty-free withdrawals are now on the table. But before you rush to take that withdrawal, recognize the drawbacks of going that route, and explore other options for borrowing money affordably while getting relief from your bills.
Oregon's deaths related to COVID-19 are significantly undercountedby a factor of as much as four.
That's the conclusion of Ken Stokes, a retired local economist who compared the historical average number of deaths in Oregon to deaths recorded so far in 2020.
Stokes read a story in the Financial Times that found deaths around the world were significantly higher than normal, adjusted for officially reported COVID-19-caused deaths. He then took the five-year average of reported deaths from the Oregon Health Authority database and compared it to this year's deaths.
Stokes found the number of reported deaths in Oregon from February through mid-April exceeded the five-year average for that time period by 348about 5 percent. At the time he did his calculations, Oregon had just 72 officially reported COVID-19 deaths. That means there were 276 "excess" deaths that require further investigation.
"This year's numbers are radically out of line," Stokes says.
WW asked professor Charles Rynerson, a demographer who heads Portland State University's Population Research Center, to review Stokes' findings. Rynerson says the math is solid but notes there are a variety of factors that could contribute to the higher death total.
"The population in Oregon, and in most of the countries in the FT analysis, is rapidly aging, so there likely would have been more deaths in 2020 than in 2015-19 even without the virus," Rynerson says. "My understanding is that deaths from other causes may have increased due to limited medical resources, canceling appointments and surgeries, and distress." (OHA senior adviser Dr. Melissa Sutton agrees with Rynerson and says the numbers require further investigation.)
Stokes' takeaway: The larger-than-expected death totals (which The New York Times documented in other states and countries) should prompt caution.
"This suggests we should act with an abundance of caution because of the unknowns," Stokes says. "For us to dash back to reopen when doctors are saying we don't know what this [COVID-19] is yetthat could be a mistake."
Excess Deaths: Far more Oregonians have died this year than expected, even adjusting for officially reported COVID-19 deaths.
MISSOULA Local health officials are expanding the criteria of who can be tested at the drive-thru COVID-19 testing facility at the Missoula County Fairgrounds.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed additional common symptoms of COVID-19 which prompted the Missoula County testing site to expand testing criteria.
In addition to cough, fever, and difficulty breathing, the health department added chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
We hope that this expansion will help us identify milder cases in our population so that we can do contact tracing, said Cindy Farr, Incident Commander for the health departments COVID-19 response.
Now included are Missoula County residents and healthcare workers having any of the symptoms listed on the CDC website including the following:
Tests are free and by appointment only. Anyone who has symptoms -- or are caring for someone with symptoms -- and would like to schedule a test can call (406) 258-INFO and select Option 2 to speak to a nurse.
The testing site call center is taking calls on Mondays-Thursdays to schedule appointments for Tuesdays-Fridays.
Farr points out that with businesses opening up and the stay at home order rescinded that prevention comes down to social distancing and contact tracing, we need a broader ability to test, and expanding symptoms allows us to do that.
Local health officials say they are concerned that as things open up, unidentified milder cases could spread the illness to others, including those who are at higher risk for complications.
We could end up with a spike in cases and some very sick individuals," Farr said.
A pulse oximeter attaches to a finger and uses light to detect the level of oxygen in your blood.
Ascoronavirus testing efforts continue to ramp up and face masksbecome part of everyday life, a tiny diagnostic tool that clips to your finger is quickly becoming a must-have gadget in thefight against COVID-19. It's called a pulse oximeter, and it checks your blood oxygen level.
The device was already beginning to surge in popularity as the public learned that people with the coronavirus oftenarrive at the hospital with abnormally low oxygen levels. After anop-ed piece in The New York Timeson April 20 recommended that pulse oximeters be used to identify the sickest among COVID-19 patients and detect the frightening condition known as "silent hypoxia," sales of the devicesskyrocketed. Right now, most are sold out in stores and online.
Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic.
But questions and controversy have arisen around the at-home use of pulse oximeters, which painlessly measure heart rate and oxygen levels. It's not entirely clear if pulse oximeters can help detect a coronavirus infection or whether their widespread use can helpcurb the spread of COVID-19.
Whether you already have a pulse oximeter or you're thinking about buying one, here's what you need to know about what they do, how they work, what the results mean and how accurate they might be.
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A pulse oximeter is a small medical device that measures heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. It's usually clipped to your finger, but it can also attach to your ear, nose, toe or forehead. Some are battery powered and provide real-time results on a small LED display on the device itself. Others connect with a wire to a separate vital sign monitor that records even more precise information about your heart rhythm, body temperature and blood pressure using other sensors connected to your body.
A pulse oximeter measures your blood oxygen saturation and heart rate by shining a light through your skin and detecting both the color and movement of your blood cells. Oxygenated blood cells are bright red, deoxygenated cells are dark red.
The pulse oximeter compares the number of bright red cells to dark red cells to calculate your oxygen saturation as a percentage. So, for example, a reading of 99% means only 1% of the blood cells in your bloodstream have been depleted of oxygen.
Every time your heart beats, it pushes your blood through your body in a quick pulse (which is why "pulse" is another word for "heart rate"). A pulse oximeter, using light, detects this movement and calculates your heart rate in beats per minute, or BPM.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a normal pulse oximeter oxygen level reading is between95% and 100%, and anything less than 90% is considered dangerously low, or hypoxic. Some doctors have reported COVID-19 patients entering the hospital withoxygen levels at 50% or below.
A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 BPM. Typically, lower is better, as a slower heart rate is usually an indication of a strong cardiovascular system.
Not exactly. Although many doctors report that patients with COVID-19 are presenting with dangerously low blood oxygen levels, COVID-19 isn't the only disease that can cause such a problem. Chronic lung diseases, like COPD, asthma and other non-COVID-19 lung infections can also result in a low oxygen count.
A low oxygen reading by itself is not enough to diagnose COVID-19, but your doctor would want to know about it, especially if you notice the level decreasing over time. And if you've been diagnosed with COVID-19, your doctor may want you to monitor your oxygen level to determine whether your condition is worsening or improving.
Although medical professionals continue to rely on temperature checks as an indication of a coronavirus infection, many patients with COVID-19 do not have fevers.
Like with any electronic equipment, not all pulse oximeters are created equal. A 2016 study of low-cost pulse oximeters concluded several inexpensive consumer-grade devicesprovided highly inaccurate readings.
Some pulse oximeters have been cleared by the FDA, which means they should meet FDA standards for accuracy. Note that there is a distinction between "FDA-approved" and "FDA-cleared," with "cleared" being the less rigorous of the two. That said, Class II medical devices like pulse oximeters are usually "cleared" rather than "approved."
You can look for pulse oximeters on the FDA-cleared list by visiting the FDA'sPremarket Notification website and searching for "pulse oximeter" in the Device Name field, with or without a manufacturer's name.
Although retailers like Amazon and Walmart still have pulse oximeters available, they're often unbranded and of questionable accuracy.
In the2016 study that found most low-cost pulse oximeters to be relatively inaccurate, "low-cost" was defined as costing less than $50. Pulse oximeters that have been cleared by the FDA tend to range in price from around $50 to $60 to well into the hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
You can still find pulse oximeters on sale online atWalmart,Amazon andeBay, but most of the name-brand devices you'll find on various best lists, like those atDigitalTrends,The Wirecutter andConsumer Reports, are either sold out completely or on backorder, with shipping estimates weeks or sometimes months away.
This week, the CDC added five more official COVID-19 symptoms for a total of seven, which are detailed here. However, symptoms, vital signs and statistics aren't the only way to track the pandemic: Memes and social media chatter are relevant data points, too. Depression and anxiety may not be symptoms of the disease itself, but as the pandemic continues, you're not the only one feeling down about it.
Harrison, with the health department, also was not able to say how many residents of the facility, if any, remained hospitalized.
Though Fahoum declined to answer specific questions, she said that GreenTrees focus remains, as it always has, on providing excellent care and service to our residents and transparent communication with our families.
Like many other senior living communities in Illinois and across the country, GreenTree at Mt. Vernon has been impacted significantly by the virus, she said.
Fahoum said staff is working around-the-clock to provide care to residents. The company, she said, was very pleased to be able to get all residents and team members tested quickly and has been encouraged by the number of residents and staff who remain asymptomatic or who have had only mild symptoms. The health department reported on Tuesday that 13 residents of the facility have been released from isolation. To be released from isolation, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 must have isolated for a minimum of seven days from the onset of symptoms and can be released once they have been fever-free and feeling well for at least 72 hours, the health department said.
While the recoveries are positive news, Fahoum said there have been residents whose symptoms from the virus have become more severe, and our hearts go out to these residents and their families.
As the number of coronavirus infections worldwide surpasses 3 million, the hunt for a vaccine against COVID-19 grows ever more urgent. At least 13 potential vaccines are in development, with three already being tested in humans, but scientists say the public may have to wait months, if not a year or more.
Here & Now's Tonya Mosley speaks withHelen Branswell(@HelenBranswell), infectious diseases and global health reporter for STAT.
Australia is in the fortunate position of having good news on the coronavirus front. Over the last few weeks, the curve has noticeably bent. The daily rate of increase in confirmed Covid-19 cases has fallen dramatically, from a peak of 460 on 28 March to around 15-20 in recent days.
Several prominent commentators have responded to this by arguing for a rapid end to social distancing. According to this view, Australia has over-reacted to the crisis and is paying insufficient attention to the costs of the downturn, both narrowly economic and in terms of broader wellbeing.
Since the economic costs fall disproportionately on young people, especially those in short-term casual employment, while the health risk falls disproportionately on elderly people, some have argued that it would be better to quarantine the most high-risk members of society and otherwise let economic activity return quickly to normal now that the pandemic is seemingly under control.
This is a dangerous idea. Low fatalities and slowing rates of transmission cannot be taken for granted. They are consequences of the policies we pursue. It is no coincidence that the bending of the curve happened here in Australia and in other countries following the imposition of tough social distancing restrictions.
Absent a vaccine, a quick return to normal risks tragic consequences and should not be taken lightly.
The idea that high-risk individuals can be quarantined as the virus diffuses through the low-risk population is foolish and wishful thinking. First, it is not feasible to achieve this separation. It is not possible to identify everyone who is high-risk individuals may think they are low-risk but have an undiagnosed comorbidity, making them actually high-risk. Even for those who are clearly high-risk, such as the elderly and those with acute conditions, they need carers, they need medical support. There is no way to reduce their contact to zero. So long as the virus is present in the rest of the population, any contact, however minimal, will eventually lead to the virus mixing into the high-risk population.
On the off chance you are not persuaded by appeals to morality, perhaps you will be persuaded by economic argument
Second, even if such a separation were feasible (which it is not), it would still mean exposing the low-risk population to unnecessary harm, making many people seriously ill, with potentially long-lived health complications, and numerous fatalities. Low risk is not no risk.
In our view, the idea of putting hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people at risk simply because it involves a high economic cost is immoral.
But on the off chance you are not persuaded by appeals to morality, perhaps you will be persuaded by a more dispassionate economic argument.
The overwhelming view among economists is that the best prospects for economic recovery involve comprehensively beating the pandemic, eradication or something close to it. Think of it as an investment that pays off in the future.
Absent near-eradication, lifting social-distancing restrictions will not let the economy bounce back to near-normal because people, fearing for their health, will still refrain from many kinds of economic activity. They still wont go back to bars and restaurants at normal rates. Low-margin businesses will still struggle to be viable. In other words, this approach risks the worst of all worlds, compromising our public health goals and at the same time not getting a proper economic recovery.
In this sense, achieving our public health goals and achieving our economic goals are not fundamentally in opposition.
The precautionary principle suggests that we should be very careful when the consequences of getting the calculation wrong on one side are worse than getting the calculation wrong on the other side. The potential medical and economic losses associated with easing social restrictions prematurely are much larger than the economic losses associated with not easing them soon enough.
The kernel of truth in the contrarian rush to end social restrictions is that, absent a vaccine, in the event that confirmed cases are near zero, we will have to carefully think through the tradeoffs involved in slowly allowing some forms of economic activity to restart. The economic pain, and the mental health side effects of a prolonged shutdown, are real. But we need to start from the premise of carefully easing the toughest social restrictions where the potential societal gain is largest, not from the premise of a soon-as-possible snap-back to life as normal.
In our view, the role of economists in this debate is to help create space for public health experts to craft the policy (as they have been doing with great success) and in light of the health policy help craft economic policies to mitigate all the suffering caused by this crisis, not just the narrowly economic but also the broader loss of wellbeing.
We should not be using spurious economic arguments to undermine the views of public health experts.
With thousands of people dying daily in major cities around the world, with temporary morgues set up on ice rinks and temporary graves in public parks, it beggars belief that anyone could take lightly the apparent relative successes Australia has had to date. We are in a very fortunate position through a combination of good policy and good luck. Lets not blow it.
Chris Edmond is professor of economics at the University of Melbourne and Richard Holden is professor of economics at UNSW Business School
Youve heard about hydroxychloroquine, but do you know about Remdesivir, Roivant, and Athersys? If youre keeping an eye on a possible vaccine, do you know there are more than a dozen vaccine candidates that are either doing trials now or hoping to start soon? This tracker from healthcare news outlet STAT has you covered.
The tracker doesnt include every possible drug and vaccine effort, but it does list some of the most talked about and sorts them to put the ones whose development is the furthest along at the top of the chart.
For drugs, the top entry is Remdesivir, which has begun phase 3 trials. It was previously tested on SARS, MERS, and Ebola, in the hopes that it could act as an all-purpose antiviral. Now its being tested on COVID-19 patients, although the phase 3 trials in China were both suspended due to a lack of eligible patients.
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Among vaccines, the top entry is Modernas mRNA vaccine, which began its phase 1 trials in March. None of the vaccine candidates have yet begun phase 2 trials, meaning it will be a while before we even know if any of them work, much less get a worldwide supply manufactured and distributed. We may be years away from the first vaccine (the fastest vaccine ever developed took four years), but with this chart we can keep an eye on how that process is going.
