Floyd County and Allamakee County—a tale of two counties in the COVID-19 outbreak

Posted: Wed, Apr 15, 2020 9:23 AM

Floyd County Courthouse in Charles City

New data being released by the Iowa Department of Public Health shows how the coronavirus outbreak has had differing impacts on Iowa's 99 counties.

Winneshiek County has a population of 20,401 people and has had five cases of COVID-19 confirmed. Floyd County's population is 15,858, but none of the 76 people who have been tested have been positive for COVID-19.

Allamakee County has a population of 13,880 people, but it has tested 114 people, with 24 of them being confirmed as having COVID-19 and two of those people dying.

What can account for those differences? The Waterloo Courier tried to answer that question a few days ago. Here's their reporting: https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/allamakee-county-among-the-highest-rates-of-coronavirus-infection-in-iowa-but-few-details-why/article_7df1fb5f-6df3-5db1-8318-799aa9e438ca.html