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. >> GOOD MORNING. LAST NIGHT, I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO PEOPLE IN OUR STATE. HOSPITALIZATION RATES RISE AT A RECORD PACE AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS PUSHED CLOSE TO ITS CAPACITY. WE WE ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS STRUGGLE. 1 MILLION NEW CASES IN THE U.S. LAST WEEK. EACH STATE IS TAKING STEPS TO REVERSE THE COURSE FOR THE VIRUS, THE SOLUTIONS FOR IOWA MUST ADDRESS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY NEEDS AND CONTINUE TO BALANCE THE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS OF IOWANS. HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVE CLIMBED DAILY THE LAST TWO WEEKS, AND AT TIMES THE INCREASES HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT. ON NOVEMBER 1st, 718 IOWANS WITH COVID-19 WERE IN THE HOSPITAL. YESTERDAY, THE NUMBER, MORE THAN DOUBLED, TO 1,510. WE HAVE ALSO SEEN THE PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED CAN COVID-19 INCREASE RAPIDLY AS WELL. AT THE START OF THE MONTH, 14% OF IOWANS IN THE HOSPITAL HAD THE VIRUS AND, TODAY, IT'S 28%. EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT ABOUT 5% OF IOWANS WITH COVID-19 REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION AND FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT OCCURS ABOUT EIGHT TO TEN DAYS AFTER THE ONSET OF THEIR SYMPTOMS. SO AS CASES CONTINUE TO INCREASE, IT IS PROJECTED THAT HOSPITALIZATIONS WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP PACE. IN LATE OCTOBER, NEW DAILY HOSPITALIZATIONS WERE JUST APPROACHING THE 100 MARK. NOW A FEW WEEKS LATER, THEY TOPPED 200 A DAY. WE KNOW THAT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. IF OUR HEALTH CARE EXCEEDS CAPACITY, IT'S JUST COVID-19 WE WILL BE FIGHTING. EVERY IOWAN WHO NEEDS MEDICAL CARE COULD BE PUT AT RISK. AS I STATED LAST NIGHT, IF AN AMBULANCE IS TRANSFERRING A COVID-19 PATIENT, IT CAN'T RESPOND TO AN ACCIDENT ON A RURAL COUNTY ROAD. IF HOSPITAL BEDS ARE FULL, A LOVED ONE WHO SUFFERS A HEART ATTACK OR STROKE MAY HAVE TO BE TRAPTED TRANSPORTED MILES AWAY. EARLY DIAGNOSIS COULD BE MISSED BECAUSE A ROUTINE PROCEDURE HAD TO BE POSTPONED TURNING WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TREATABLE DISEASE INTO A TERMINAL DIAGNOSIS. WE COULD FACE THAT IF WE DON'T ACT NOW. LAST NIGHT I ANNOUNCED NEW MEASURES ARE IN EFFECT TODAY. MEASURES ARE TARGETED TOWARDS ACTIVITIES AND ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN A RELATIVELY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. THEY ARE NECESSARY IF WE WANT TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP OUR BUSINESSES OPEN, OUR KIDS IN SCHOOL, AND OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM STABLE. NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 10th WHEN YOU'RE INDOOR A PUBLIC SPACE AND UNABLE TO SOCIAL DISTANCE ABOUT 15 MINUTES OR LONGER, MASKS ARE REQUIRED TO BE WORN. THE SAME REQUIREMENTS APPLY TO VISITORS AND EMPLOYEES INSIDE STATE BUILDINGS AND AS I SAID LAST NIGHT, I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE OTHER BUSINESSES TO FOLLOW THIS LEAD. INDOOR SOCIAL, COMMUNITY, BUSINESS, LEISURE GATHERINGS OR EVENTS WILL BE LIMITED TO 15 PEOPLE. OUTDOOR GATHERINGS WILL BE LIMITED TO 30. THIS INCLUDES WEDDING AND FUNERAL RECEPTIONS, FAMILY GATHERINGS, AND CONVENTIONS. THIS DOES NOT RESTRICT GATHERINGS IN THE WORKPLACE AS PART OF NORMAL BUSINESS OR DAILY OPERATIONS. ADULT YOUTH ACTIVITIES OF ANY SIZE ARE SUSPENDED. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ARE NOT PROHIBITED AT THIS TIME, SPECTATORS AT GAMES OR EVENTS ARE LIMITED TO 2 PER STUNTDENT A ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK. RESTAURANTS AND BARS MUST CLOSE AT 10:00 P.M. AND CANNOT HOST PRIVATE GATHERINGS OF MORE THAN 15 PEOPLE. MASKS MUST BE WORN BY STAFF WHO HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS. CUSTOMERS MUST WEAR MASKS WHEN THEY ARE NOT SEATED AT THEIR TABLE. AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, INPATIENT ELECTIVE PROCEDURES WILL BE REDUCED BY 50%. ALL OF THE MEASURES THAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT THERE ARE IN THE HEALTH DISASTER PROCLAMATION AND WILL BE REASSESSED IN A WEEK AND ADDITIONAL MEASURES COULD BE ADDED BASED ON WHAT WE CONTINUE TO SEE WITH HOSPITAL CAPACITY AND WHAT THE TRENDS LOOK LIKE. I KNOW THIS ISN'T WHERE WE WANTED TO BE, NEARLY NINE MONTHS INTO THE PANDEMIC. I KNOW THAT WE CAN OVERCOME IT. BUT NOW IS THE TIME TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE GREATER GOOD TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN FOR EACH OTHER AND NOT REALLY BECAUSE YOU'RE TOLD TO DO IT, BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. SO, AGAIN, I'M JUST REMINDING AND ASKING ALL IOWANS TO STEP UP AND HELP US STOP THE SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS TOGETHER. THIS MORNING, I ALSO WANTED TO PROVIDE A PRISON UPDATE. LAST WEEK, I MENTIONED THAT OUTBREAKS IN SOME OF THE STATE'S CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES WERE CONTRIBUTING TO HIGH POSITIVE ITERATES AND CASE GROWTH IN SOME COUNTIES. TODAY, I WANT TO PROVIDE A BRIEF UPDATE ON THOSE AND, AGAIN, JUST THE IMPRESSIVE EFFORT THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS HAS MADE TO MANAGE THE SITUATION. ON OCTOBER 28th, THE FIRST CASES OF COVID-19 APPEARED IN THE INMATE POPULATION AT THE ANIMAL STATE PENITENTIARY AND TESTING BEGAN ALL INMATES AND STAFF. NOVEMBER 4th, 982 TESTS WERE CONDUCTED WITH NEARLY 500 POSITIVE RESULTS RETURNED. FOLLOW-UP TESTING OF THOSE WHO WERE NEGATIVE WAS DONE ON NOVEMBER 10th WHICH YIELDED NEARLY 250 MORE POSITIVE CASES. A FINAL ROUND OF FOLLOW-UP TESTING IS BEING DONE TODAY OF THE 742 TOTAL POSITIVE CASES. 64% HAVE MOVED TO RECOVERED STATUS AT THIS TIME. AFTER EXPERIENCING AN OUTBREAK IN SEPTEMBER, NEW CASES WERE ONCE AGAIN IDENTIFIED AT THE CLAIREDON CORRECTS FACILITY AT THE END OF OCTOBER. TO DATE, 547 TOTAL POSITIVE CASES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND 79% ARE NOW RECOVERED. THE NORTH CENTRAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IDENTIFIED ITS FIRST CASE ON NOVEMBER 2nd. MASS TESTING OCCURRED DURING THE FOLLOWING TWO DAYS AND FOLLOW-UP TESTING OCCURRED ON NOVEMBER 11th GENERATING 370 POSITIVE CASES OF WHICH 67 HAVE MOVED TO RECOVERED STATUS. I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COMMEND DIRECTOR SKINNER AND HER ENTIRE TEAM FOR THEIR QUICK ACTION TO MANAGE THESE OUTBREAKS FROM COORDINATING MASS TESTING WITH THE STATE HYGIENIC COMMAND WHICH I COMMEND ON THEIR EFFORT TO TURN THESE AROUND IN A QUICK MANNER TO MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO STAFFING WITH THEIR -- WHEN THEIR WORK FORCE WAS IMPACTED. THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS HAS DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB OF HANDLING THIS VERY CHALLENGING SITUATION. SO DESPITE THE RISES NUMBER OF CASES AND HOSPITALIZATIONS, THERE IS HOPE A VACCINE IS COMING SOONER, RATHER THAN LATER. AND THAT NEW THERAPEUTICS CAN OFFER A FAST AND FULL RECOVERY FOR MORE PEOPLE. IN THE LAST WEEK, WE HAVE HEARD GOOD NEWS ABOUT TWO COMPROMISING VACCINES THAT HAVE PROVEN TO BE 90% EFFECTIVE IN EARLY TRIALS. DRUGMAKERS PFIZER AND MODERNA PLAN TO APPLY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS FOR FDA EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION TO BEGIN VACCINATING THE PUBLIC. MEANWHILE, OTHER NEW THERAPEUTICS ARE ALSO COMING TO MARKET. IOWA WILL BE RECEIVING MORE THAN 2,000 DOSES OF NEW ANTIBODY THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF COVID-19. THE THERAPEUTIC IS TARGETED FOR ADULTS AGE 65 AND OVER OR WITH CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND CHILDREN OVER THE AGE OF 12 WHO ARE IMMUNE COMPROMISED. THE DRUG IS ADMINISTERED IN OUTPATIENT SETTINGS AND NOT AUTHORIZED FOR INDIVIDUALS ALREADY HOSPITALIZED OR REQUIRING OXYGEN THERAPY. PUBLIC HEALTH IS DISTRIBUTING DOSES TO INTERESTED HOSPITALS BASED ON THEIR RECENT HOSPITALIZATION RATES. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ANOTHER THERAPY FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS THAT IS CURRENTLY IN SHORT SUPPLY BUT EASY TO REPLENISH WITH THE HELP OF IOWAN WHOSE HAVE HAD THE VIRUS. IT TAKES BLOOD FROM THE RECOVERED COVID-19 PATIENTS AND GIVES IT TO PEOPLE CURRENTLY HOSPITALIZED DUE TO THE VIRUS TO HELP BOOST THEIR ABILITY TO FIGHT IT. CONVALESCENT PLASMA IS USE AS AN EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT FOR COVID-19 AND HAS PROVEN TO HAVE POSITIVE RESULTS FOR MANY PATIENTS. SO HERE TO SHARE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TYPE OF THERAPY IS CHRISTINE HAYS, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF LIFE SERVE AND SUE CASPER BOWER WHO RECEIVED THE TREATMENT EARLIER THIS YEAR. CHRISTINE, THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY TO HELP INFORM I