6 Woodward Resource Center residents positive for COVID-19

WOODWARD, Iowa (AP) — Six residents at a central Iowa facility for people with intellectual disabilities have tested positive for the new coronavirus, although none have shown symptoms of COVID-19, officials said.

The Iowa Department of Human Services announced on April 27 that a resident at the Woodward Resource Center tested positive for the virus after seeking treatment for an unrelated medical issue, the Des Moines Register reported. By Saturday, five more residents — all tied to one home on campus — had tested positive for the virus. Three employees at the multi-building campus have also tested positive.

Diane Stout, assistant superintendent at the center, said in a letter to guardians and families that the department has begun contact tracing staff members. Contract tracing is the process of tracking every person that may have been in contact with an infected person.

The state is working to get more COVID-19 testing on the campus, DHS spokesman Matt Highland said.

Residents who tested positive have been moved to separate on-campus housing. Those who have pending test results are already placed in isolation before results come in as a precaution, Highland said.

Ten residents in the home have tested negative for the virus. The home has been thoroughly cleaned, Highland said.