Vice President Mike Pence has said Iowa is a COVID-19 «success story,» telling religious leaders on Friday that it «has been leading the way …
Vice President Mike Pence has said Iowa is a COVID-19 «success story,» telling religious leaders on Friday that it «has been leading the way with Governor Kim Reynolds,» a fellow Republican who has begun reopening the state.
But while not as hard hit as America’s coasts, Iowa has still suffered at least 243 confirmed deaths due to the coronavirus — nearly as many as South Korea, despite having 1/16th the population — with a dozen more fatalities reported the day of Pence’s trip.
Gov. Reynolds recently allowed religious institutions to hold socially-distanced services again, a fact that won her an invite to the White House earlier in the week and the visit on Friday from Pence, whose trip was briefly delayed by the news that his press secretary tested positive for COVID-19.
«We grieve the loss of life here in Iowa, but the numbers speak for themselves,» the vice president said, per the Des Moines Register.
Those numbers, however, are trending in an upward direction. The 12 deaths announced on Friday are an increase from the 8 deaths announced a week before, and the single death reported a month ago.
