Six New Cases in Dubuque County, 274 New Cases and Four More Deaths in Iowa
Positive Cases
Between 2 p.m. yesterday and 2 p.m. today, the IDPH reported six new positive cases of COVID-19 in Dubuque County, increasing the county total to 381. For the state, 274 additional cases were reported in that same time frame giving Iowa a total of 23,261 positive cases.
Deaths
No additional deaths were reported in Dubuque County so the county total remains at 21. Four additional deaths were reported statewide increasing the state death total at 643.
Testing
As of 2 p.m. today, the IDPH website reported that 6,604 Dubuque County residents have been tested, up 53 from yesterday, with a positive test rate of 5.8 percent. 213,676 Iowans have been tested, an increase of 5,292 since yesterday, for a positive test rate of 10.9 percent. One in 15 Dubuque County residents have been tested and one in 15 Iowa residents.
Long-Term Care Facility Outbreaks
According to the IDPH, as of 2 p.m. today there are 35 long-term care facilities in Iowa with COVID-19 outbreaks, two less than yesterday. There is one long-term care facility outbreak in Dubuque County at Dubuque Specialty Care, which has 51 positive cases (one more than yesterday) and 14 recovered cases. Statewide, IDPH is reporting 1,332 positive cases at long-term care facilities (57 fewer than reported yesterday), 799 recovered (20 fewer than reported yesterday), and 336 deaths (23 more than reported yesterday). The number of cases and recovered include both residents and staff.
Hospitalizations & Recoveries
As of today, 225 Iowans were hospitalized due to COVID-19, 17 fewer than yesterday. The number of Dubuque County residents hospitalized is three, the same as yesterday. Statewide, 14,167 Iowans have recovered (up 234 from yesterday), including 217 Dubuque County residents (one more than yesterday).
For the most current information on COVID-19, visit https://coronavirus.iowa.gov. For COVID-19 information specific to Dubuque County, visit www.dubuquecounty.org/COVID19
Video Update: What is a ’super spreader?’
The June 12 video update from the Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management Team includes a review of new cases and other statistics from the IDPH as well as information on "high-attack rate" events and an explanation of the term "super spreader" as it related to the COVID-19 virus. Watch the video at https://youtu.be/8Fn0AKiYIl0
Click here to learn more
Board of Health Adopts ’Mask of Wellness’ Initiative
The Dubuque County Board of Health recently adopted the “Mask of Wellness” employer initiative as a recommended, voluntary approach to promote COVID-Conscious Businesses and a COVID-Conscious Community.
The Mask of Wellness is a positive, empowering approach for adjusting to life with COVID-19 in an open economy, prior to the availability of a vaccine. It is intended to boost consumer and employee confidence knowing an employer is following three basic COVID Conscious practices of Masks, Hygiene, and Health.
1) Wear Masks in all public and shared workspaces.
2) Hygiene – regularly wash your hands for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer, routinely sanitize frequently-touched surfaces, and physically distance yourself from other employees and patrons.
3) Daily Health self-certification by employees.
Dr. Bobby Koneru, medical liaison on the board of health, said “It is well known in medicine that the optimal approach to a certain pathology involves not one, but a combination of interventions. The same is true to tackle our current pandemic. A combination of vital measures which include hand hygiene, masks, and screening should be incorporated into our daily routine to stay safe as we reopen our economy for business.”
More detailed information on each of these recommended wellness practices is available at www.maskofwellness.com. Employers wanting to learn more, and to sign up for free, should visit the website and download the toolkit and graphics. Once registered, participating employers will be listed in the website’s business directory and identified on an interactive map with a pin.
The board of health is also pleased to have partnered with numerous economic and community development organizations around the county to help promote this initiative.
The Mask of Wellness is a public-facing initiative that is compatible to the “Safe at Work in Greater Dubuque” toolkit of CDC and IDPH best practices. www.greaterdubuque.org/covid19/safe-at-work
The Mask of Wellness initiative was started in May 2020 by Dr. David Krupp and Dr. Robbie Schwenker in Johnson County as a free, voluntary, simple safety method following current CDC guidelines to help the economy reopen while maintaining healthy practices for the public
Media Contact
Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
Email Randy Gehl
This message is from the Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management Team, which includes staff from the from the Dubuque County Health Department, City of Dubuque Health Department, Dubuque County Emergency Management Agency, and the Dubuque Visiting Nurse Association.