Des Moines, Iowa — There’s a landmark to observe in the pandemic, which first reached Iowa in March of 2020.
The state health department says as of April 1st, it will end the mandatory reporting of positive COVID-19 tests that are processed in clinical labs, and it will also end its weekly reports. Health officials say the numbers are no longer accurate as home tests are now inexpensive, plentiful and don’t have to be reported.
Free home testing kits will be available from Test Iowa through year’s end. President Biden has called for an end to the national public health emergency on May 11th. To date, there have been 10,600 Iowans that have died with coronavirus. Last week, 2,300 Iowans tested positive for the virus.
