Mahaska County Public Health Says No Cases of COVID-19 In Mahaska County

Mahaska Health and Emergency Management continue to prepare in the event extra capacity is needed in the health care system locally.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Oskaloosa News spoke with Mahaska County Public Health officials Patty Malloy and Denise Gipple on Monday. As of 5:00 pm Monday, there were no positive cases of COVID-19 in the County.

There are a few cases that are pending tests here in Mahaska County.

Officially, neighboring counties of Poweshiek and Wapello have confirmed cases of the virus, and a Tama County woman has told officials that she was feeling the symptoms of the virus after attending a basketball game in Oskaloosa.

As the virus edges closer to Mahaska County, Public Health says that they have seen increased numbers with other illnesses such as allergies. “You may see some ramp-up in our activities in the next few days as demand builds.”

Those arriving at Mahaska Health on Monday saw military tents being put into place on the north parking lot, along with a wooden building.

Public Health says those are precautionary moves to be better prepared if there was to be an influx of patients or a need for more room.

Officials continue to stress that people stay home when they’re sick, cover their cough, and wash their hands. “Those are the things that we recommend to prevent the spread of the disease. We know it’s around us, and it’s going to come to us, but we want to slow it down and not stress the healthcare system as much as we can.”