Iowa Sees Surge in COVID-19 Cases After Addition of New Test

Iowa's surge in coronavirus cases continues as more than 2,600 more positive cases have been reported but state officials say the rise is partly due to adding results of a new testing method.

BY DAVID PITT, Associated Press

Iowa saw a surge in coronavirus cases Friday with 2,663 more confirmed cases reported, a significantly higher number than any previous one-day total, but state officials partly attributed the rise to the addition of results from a new testing method.

The state currently shows more than 62,000 people have tested positive in Iowa and there have been 1,091 deaths. In the last day, there were 12 additional deaths.

Iowa’s Medical Director Dr. Caitlin Pedati said Thursday that the state is now adding results of antigen tests, an increasingly popular COVID-19 test that provides quicker results. It detects specific proteins on the surface of the coronavirus, a different approach from the more widely used molecular test that detects the virus’ genetic material.

Pedati said Iowa is counting about 10,000 antigen tests in its state totals, of which about 1,000 were positive. The state received most of the test results in the past 10 to 12 days, demonstrating the recent increased use of the tests, she noted.

Adding the figures to the state's data on Friday pushed Iowa's rate of positive tests to 10% since March.

Prior to those results being included, Iowa's daily positivity rate was 16% statewide on Thursday, the same day that the state's 14-day rolling total of cases reached it's highest ever number [....]

Univ. of Alabama tops 1,300 cases since classes began last week

@ WashingtonPost.com Coronavirus updates, Aug. 28, 10:05 pm

In one of the largest reported campus outbreaks of the coronavirus, the University of Alabama has now tallied more than 1,000 infections on its three campuses after announcing positive tests for 492 students and 51 faculty and staff members Friday.

No students have been hospitalized, and isolation housing is still mostly vacant, the school said.

Classes began Aug. 19.

The rising case count is concerning to the university population and surrounding communities alike. The city of Tuscaloosa announced a shutdown of bars and suspension of bar services in restaurants for two weeks to slow the spread of the virus. The school also put a moratorium on in-person student events and restricted access to Greek houses [....]