IOWA, USA — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' daily press conference Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 11 a.m. on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the state.
Iowa updates by the numbers
- 4 more deaths
- 83 deaths confirmed due to the coronavirus
- 482 new confirmed cases
- 3,641 total confirmed cases
- 2 new counties: Cherokee and Humboldt
- 84 counties have at least one confirmed case
Gov. Kim Reynolds is announcing a plan to dramatically increase the state’s capacity to test citizens for the coronavirus, which has lagged behind many other states.
Under the Test Iowa plan, the state’s 3.2 million residents will be asked to complete an online health assessment at testiowa.com. The state signed a contract to purchase 540,000 tests over the next six months. Reynolds said that will increase testing capability by 3,000 tests per day.
The assessment asks information such as if you have any underlying conditions, where you live and occupation to determine eligibility for a test.
Those who have symptoms or who have been exposed to people with coronavirus will be eligible for free testing at drive-through sites. Those tested can expect results within 48 to 72 hours, Reynolds said. The state will also alert the contacts of those who test positive.
Data from the testing is owned by the state and is secured through Qualtrics. All information is confidential.
Reynolds said "the information is critical to understand virus activity and zero in on new outbreaks and clusters." The governor said the state also wants to identify where minimal activity is occurring to begin slowly reopening the state.