DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Public Health says it expects the cases of COVID-19 coronavirus to peak in Iowa in the next 2-3 weeks based on data from Iowa and other states.
“We’re thinking that we might see a first peak (of the virus) in the next two to three weeks,” said Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter. “That’s the best information that we have right now,” Reisetter added. “I would reiterate that things are changing on a daily basis, and we continue to look at numbers, both here in Iowa and what’s happening in other states."
Reisetter made the statement during a press conference Sunday with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Reynolds said she is making decisions for Iowa right now based on the best use of healthcare resources during the coronavirus pandemic. "The decisions that I have made have been made in the vein of really helping us strategically use our PPE stockpile that we have," said Reynolds. "That has been an issue from the very beginning of this."
Reynolds has banned elective surgeries until April 16, when the COVID-19 outbreak is expected to peak and start dropping. Reynolds has been criticized for including surgical abortions in the temporary ban. During the press conference, she said people who disagree with elements of the ban should take take their complaints to the state Board of Medicine. She said her decision to ban non-essential medical procedures, and include surgical abortions in that order, was based on recommendations of health care experts, not her personal ideology.
Thirty-eight new cases of the novel coronavirus were reported Sunday, which brings Iowa’s total to 336 cases.