JOHNSTON, Iowa - The state is disclosing COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants differently than its does at nursing homes.
It has a dedicated web page to tracks outbreak at long term care centers, but does not have one for processing plants.
This week, Health Department Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter said the state would only confirm business outbreaks if 10% of employees test positive, and that they'd wait until reporters ask about those outbreaks.
"We've been announcing them at these press conferences as the questions have been asked," Reisetter said.
That policy was revealed only after reporters asked about Buena Vista County, which was reported by ABC News to be on a FEMA top 10 list for growing COVID-19 cases.
Only days ago, Buena Vista became the county with the largest percentage of virus cases based on population - 3,452 cases per 100,000 residents.
Meatpacking plants are known as a hot spot for COVID-19 outbreaks across the Midwest.