SIOUX CITY (KTIV) — The Siouxland District Health Department has confirmed the first death in Woodbury County connected to COVID-19.
During a news conference, health officials said the department was notified Tuesday morning that a man between the ages of 61 and 80 died from the virus.
Officials said he was not hospitalized at the time of his death, or at a long term care facility, he was at home. They would not say if he had underlying health conditions.
Siouxland Community Health says they have done everything the can to make testing available for residents. But, not everyone can get tested.
“The most important thing for people to realize is that for the testing site a physician order is required in order to be tested. You cannot drive up to the site you need to contact your physician. It’s important that a physician assess you before you present for testing just to make sure that you are safe for testing and you may not have any additional health concerns.” said Mari Kaptain-Dahlen, CEO of Siouxland Community Health Center.
Kaptain-Dahlen said if you do not have a physician, you can call the Siouxland Community Health Center. She adds testing is not limited to people in Woodbury County or even Iowa, it’s for anyone in Siouxland.
The Director of Laboratory Services for Siouxland District Health gave some insight on possibly why there has been a surge of cases in Woodbury County.
“Positive tests breed more positive tests. And like Mari said, positive tests breed the increase for testing, the need for testing. And then more testing equals more positive results. So it’s all a cycle. When you get tests you need more testing, and when you do more testing you get more. So it’s natural for these numbers to be rising,” said Tyler Brock, Deputy Director, Siouxland District Health
Brock said in order for some people to be released from self-isolation, they need to be fever-free for at least 72 hours without the benefit of fever reducers like Tylenol.
He added, his team follows-up with cases at least once before they’re released from isolation.
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