IOWA, USA — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' daily press conference Monday, May 11, 2020 at 11 a.m. on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the state.
Reynolds announced that she was in the same vicinity as Vice President Mike Pence's staff member who tested positive for COVID-19 when she visited the White House on Wednesday.
The governor said she did not have direct contact with the staff member, but "out of an abundance of caution," is following a similar modified quarantine plan as other White House officials that attended that meeting.
Reynolds said she is now being tested everyday for the coronavirus and receives results back in 10 minutes. The governor said she is also minimizing contact with her team and will increase her time working from home.
Other updates
- Iowa is one of six states that is receiving remdesivir, a drug being used to treat COVID-19.
Iowa Department of Public Health Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter said Iowa was chosen in part due to increasing case counts.
Reynolds said Dr. Deborah Birx, with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, was "impressed" with the state's testing.
"She wasn't aware we were doing extensive targeted testing in a lot of our manufacturing and processing facilities and so they were very impressed with the testing," Reynolds said.
"So once we put it in the context with what we had been doing in the state she said well that explains some of the increase in the numbers that we were seeing."
- On state and county fairs: Reynolds said it was "too early to make that decision"
- The governor said employers should continue to encourage employees to work from home whenever possible
- When asked if essential workers in Iowa should feel safe despite government employees getting sick, Reynolds said, "We could never guarantee that Iowans wouldn't get it. We know again that 80% of Iowans have mild to no symptoms. Twenty percent are the ones most significantly impacted by covid-19. Those over the age of 65, underlying conditions and those are the ones that really need to stay at home and minimize travel outside of their home."
