The White House Coronavirus Task Force in its latest report warned Iowa officials that small gatherings in people's homes are "significantly" increasing spread of coronavirus in the state as the weather cools and outdoor activities are more limited.
The report, dated Monday but released by the Iowa Department of Public Health to reporters on Wednesday night, warns that "current transmissions are linked to home gatherings," as the state faces a surge in new cases, deaths and record hospitalizations.
The experts say Iowa in the "red zone" for cases with 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population last week the 10th highest rate in the country. More than 121,000 Iowans have tested positive and 1,691 have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, as of data collected Thursday morning.
The document urges Iowa officials to limit large and small gatherings in an effort to stem the spread, which echoes from previous recommendations in recent weeks.
This comes as 605 Iowans are in the hospital with COVID-19, a new record-number that has continued to rise over the last month. Gov. Reynolds has insisted that the health care system has the resources to manage the surge, but Iowa doctors have cautioned that if this trend continues, it could overwhelm hospitals.
The White House experts in their report also notify Iowa leaders that hospitals could be at risk.
"All indicators of community spread are increasing, including percent of nursing homes with positive staff members and residents," the report says. "And community spread is increasing hospital admissions, leading to potential resource constraints."
The state is receiving nearly one million rapid tests from the federal government, and the experts this week said such tests perform best in school settings. Iowa's schools need to have at least 50% of their instruction in person, according to Gov. Kim Reynolds' proclamation.