IOWA CITY, Iowa — As the number of coronavirus cases in Iowa continues to grow, doctors are feeling the extra strain, too.
Local 5 spoke with a doctor at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics about how medical personnel are dealing with the rise in COVID-19.
"The staff who are caring for patients here with COVID-19 have to use a lot of protection to be able to care for them safely without transmitting to healthcare workers or other patients. So we've isolated most of these patients to private areas of the hospital and used personal protective equipment consistent with the CDC to try to limit the spread of infection," says Dr. Nicholas Mohr, an emergency medicine physician.
Although we have fewer cases in Iowa compared to more populated states, Dr. Mohr says they're been following the latest developments in those areas to stay ahead of the curve.
"Right now the curve in Iowa is behind other parts of the world and certainly behind what we've seen in New York. A lot of what we've done over the last couple of weeks as we've seen this epidemic coming to Iowa is preparing for that and trying to develop our search capacity."
Many states, like Florida, have recently issued stay-at-home orders. Iowa has not issued this type of order, however social distancing and staying at home whenever possible has been encouraged.
Iowa residents should stay home whenever they are not working or conducting essential business. Effective social distancing is the key to mitigating the coronavirus spread.