Community Health Director Talks About What Is Now Known About The COVID-19 Coronavirus
(Part 1 of a 2-part series)
(Le Mars) — People have had to deal with the COVID-19 coronavirus since mid-March, with several interruptions to our daily lives. Businesses, church services, organizations, events, meetings and seminars, and schools have all had to be closed or cancelled because of the virus. The number of positive
cases of COVID-19 continues to climb, including Plymouth County. Tara Geddes, Community Health Director for Plymouth County says as of Wednesday, May 6th, Plymouth County has reported 34 positive cases.
Some people have wondered if Governor Reynolds was a bit too quick in lifting many of the restrictions for 77 Iowa counties, including Plymouth County.
Geddes says since the governor’s order allowing for businesses to again be open, Plymouth County has witnessed a significant increase for the number of positive cases.
The community health official says Plymouth County probably has not yet seen our number of positive coronavirus numbers reach their peak.
Geddes says health officials are learning more about the virus each and every day. She says the symptoms associated with the COVID-19 virus have now expanded.
Geddes says it is important for all people who are most susceptible to remain at home, and for others to limit our destinations to essential trips. She reminds people to always wear a mask when in the public.
Nurses Are Being Honored During “National Nurses Week”
(Le Mars) — Today (Wednesday) is the start of National Nurses Week, and today is considered as National Nurses Day. Lorrie Mortensen is the Director of Nursing at Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars. She says this week is recognized as the time we honor the nation’s nurses because of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Nightingale was a nurse during the Crimean War and offered aid and comfort to wounded and ill soldiers on both sides. Mortensen
talks about the number of nurses employed at Floyd Valley Healthcare.
Mortensen says there are many different aspects of nursing that extend from surgical units to trauma to intensive care to pediatrics and more. She says nurses are the ones that provide care round the clock.
Mortensen says she often refers to a quotation heard about the importance of nursing when discussing the nursing profession with others.
The director of nursing says it is the nurse that constantly is in contact with the patient and offering comfort and aid to patients. Mortensen says she had the privilege when first beginning her nursing career to work side by side with Dr. Donald Faber.
Mortensen offers several examples of how the nurses carry on after the doctor’s visit.
Since the start of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, nurses have been working longer hours and are on the front lines of the virus. Mortensen says the coronavirus has interrupted everyone’s lives, including the nursing staff.
(photos contributed.)
Tyson Pork Plant in Waterloo to Re-Open Thursday
(Waterloo, IA) — Two weeks after being closed following an outbreak of COVID-19, the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Waterloo is set to re-open.
Company officials say Tyson’s largest pork processing facility will resume limited operations on Thursday. Workers are invited to tour the plant today to see enhanced safety features that were put in place while the facility was idle. Iowa Department of Public Health officials said Tuesday that 17 percent of the plant’s 28-hundred – 444 – tested positive for COVID-19.
Company officials say all Waterloo employees returning to work have been tested. Employees who have tested positive will remain on sick leave until released by health officials to return to work.
LULAC Iowa Calls For Boycott of All Processed Meat
(Des Moines, IA) — One of the country’s largest Latino organizations is calling for a boycott of processed meat due to outbreaks of the coronavirus at meat packing plants. The League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa — also known as LULAC — is calling on consumers to join their “Meatless May”
campaign. LULAC’s Joe Henry of Des Moines said, “this is again the time for people in America to speak up…for safety and health procedures for these workers to make sure that we have justice in the workplace.” Henry and other advocates say in addition to COVID-19 testing for all employees at food processing plants, the corporate owners of the plants should provide paid
sick leave and slow down production lines so workers can stand farther apart.
More than 16-hundred workers at four packing plants in Iowa tested positive and Henry says that means the relatives of those workers are at risk of contracting the virus.
Another Cedar Rapids Police Officer Tests Positive For Coronavirus
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — The Cedar Rapids Police Department has a second officer who has tested positive for coronavirus. The city would not identify the infected officer. The male officer is between the age of 18 and 40.
Officials say the officer was off-duty when he started to experience minor symptoms while at home. The officer then requested a test on Sunday and learned about the positive results on Tuesday. The city says the officer last worked on Saturday and is isolating at home. Department officials are
notifying people who may have been exposed.
Axne Co-Sponsors Bill to Help State and Local Governments During COVID-19
(Washington, DC) — Congresswoman Cindy Axne is co-sponsoring legislation to create a relief program to help state and local governments make up revenue lost during the COVID-19 outbreak. Axne and New York Republican Peter King introduced the Coronavirus State and Local Financial Assistance Act. The new 500-billion-dollar program would issue grants to state and local governments to offset lost revenue and to prevent cuts to essential services. Axne said, “Our firefighters, teachers, police officers, and other municipal workers – and the towns they support – should not have to bear the burden of budget cuts after taking the necessary steps to slow the spread of coronavirus in Iowa.”
