State directs site in Dubuque to limit coronavirus testing

Hunter
07/21/20

State officials have ordered a test site in Dubuque to severely restrict their hours and number of tests that they can administer per day.

A memo posted by the City says that the Governor’s Office has directed Epic Health and Wellness to limit their tests to just 100 per day and only be open Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 7am. Once the 100 limit is reached, testing is to be suspended until the next scheduled day.

Furthermore, the Visiting Nurses Association will no longer be allowed to assist residents with TestIowa.com assessments by phone; it directs people to “ask a trusted family member or friend with internet access to assist in taking the online assessment.”

Dubuque County, like many of Iowa’s 99 counties, has seen a recent surge in coronavirus cases. They’ve seen nearly 400 new cases in the last 14 days. Over 5200 tests have been submitted to the Iowa Department of Public Health. KCRG TV reports that since the Epic Health and Wellness site has opened on June 22nd, nearly 60% of the county’s total cases have been identified. Not all tests can be directly attributed to the Dubuque site.

Dubuque County has had 23 people die from COVID-19.

www.cityofdubuque.org/CivicSend/ViewMessage/Message/118377