DES MOINES, Iowa - The research group that projects death rates and cases of COVID-19/coronavirus has updated its predictions for Iowa.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle now has the peak rate of daily deaths in Iowa at 23 over five days on April 30th through May 4th. It's previous projection had Iowa's death rate peaking on Wednesday April 29th with 19 deaths.
The group projects the peak of resources needed on April 30th when 1,155 hospital beds will be needed, as well as 234 ICU beds and 200 ventilators. No shortages of those resources are forecast for Iowa in the group's evaluation.
The institute's model now shows Iowa to have a total of 743 COVID-19 related deaths by June 7th, It previously forecast 565 deaths on June 3rd, down from its initial prediction of 1,500 deaths.
Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Public Health criticized the institute's initial death projection because it did not consider that the state had taken steps to fight the pandemic, such as closing down schools in mid-March.
The institute now predicts 61,545 total deaths nationally by August 4th. It pegged the peak day for COVID-19 related deaths to be last Friday, April 10th, with 1,983.
The institute's projections assume full social distancing through the month of May.