The first child to test positive for COVID-19 was confirmed by Webster County Public Health Tuesday evening, bringing the county to 11 cases total.

The cases fall into the following age categories:

-Child (age 0-17): 1

-Adult (age 18-40): 4

-Middle age adult (age 41-60): 4

-Older adult (age 61-80): 2

Four of the cases have recovered since their diagnosis. A total of 869 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Webster County, about 2.4% of the county’s population, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH.)

“It is important to remember that our numbers will ebb and flow back and forth as positive tests are received and disease investigations completed,” said Webster County Public Health Director Kari Prescott. “Once we validate residency and contact tracing for each positive patient, we will update the public with factual information.”

The positive cases join an additional 539 statewide announced Tuesday. Statewide, 12,912 people have tested positive since the pandemic began.

Eighteen additional deaths were also reported Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 289.

The IDPH notes that a total of 4,306 people in Webster County have taken an online assessment via Test Iowa, the state’s testing initiative, up over 500 since last week. Assessments do not reflect the number of people who have received a diagnostic test for COVID-19.

The numbers noted on the state’s COVID-19 website are delayed and don’t always reflect when a patient’s case has been moved to another county as part of disease investigations. Webster County Public Health has an internal system that notifies of positive tests and potential cases, and WCPH staff are notified internally before IDPH posts information.

Once a positive test result is received by WCPH, a nurse begins a standard disease investigation. Disease investigation procedures are used not only for COVID-19 but for other contagious illnesses as well. As part of investigations, the patient is asked about the people that they have been around and the places that they have been during a specified period of time. That information is recorded by a public health nurse. At times, it will be determined that while a patient was tested in Webster County, they do not reside in nor had exposure in the county. It is during this time in the investigation that their case may be transferred to be recorded in another county.

WCPH said they will contact all contacts exposed to to a positive patient.