The Pearl Valley Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Perry has been removed from the state list of outbreaks at long-term care facilities, according to data from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH).
The IDPH first reported the Pearl Valley outbreak April 27 after 12 people — both residents and workers — tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Three other facilities in Dallas County remain on the IDPH outbreak list: the Granger Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with 50 positive cases, Arbor Springs in West Des Moines with 20 positive cases and the Rowley Masonic Community in Perry with 19 positive cases.
Two weeks ago, an IDPH strike team offered free COVID-19 testing to about 1,000 staff members at the nine long-term care facilities in Dallas County. IDPH COVID-19 Media Relations Coordinator Amy McCoy said 173 tests were administered during the two-day event.
The Dallas County Hospital and Perry’s three long-term care facilities — the Perry Lutheran Homes, Rowley Masonic Community and Pearl Valley — imposed restrictions on visitor access to their facilities March 11 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of May 22, COVID-19 outbreaks are ongoing in 36 long-term care facilities in Iowa, with 1,528 positive cases and 235 deaths reported by the IDPH. Residents of long-term care facilities represent about 53% of the 444 COVID-19 deaths in Iowa.
