More than a week after Community Memorial Health Center in Hartley reported its first COVID-19 infection among its residents, nothing has changed.

Administrator Dr. Janette Simon reported Tuesday that no new cases had been found after the latest round of testing on Monday. The same was true for the nursing home's staff members, all of whom received negative results Tuesday.

"Usually when COVID gets inside a long-term care facility it spreads like wild fire," said Simon. "We were able to contain it to one resident and the containment area will be dismantled this week."

Simon said the resident contracted COVID-19 from a therapist, who was positive. Changes to protocol have been implemented in the wake of the infection. The therapy company will be doing telemed with some residents, and CMHC is no longer accepting the therapy company's COVID-19 test results. Instead, the nursing home will conduct its own tests on therapists who enter the facility.

Simon explained therapists are allowed into the CMHC facility based on doctor's orders, and they are also part of residents' Medicaid benefit.

The infected resident tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 7 and was placed in the designated containment area for 10 days, as per protocol. CMHC had four staff members designated to provide care in the isolation area during the duration of the quarantine – one nurse and one CNA worked a 12-hour shift, followed by another pair.

• Deaths increase in O'Brien, Clay counties

The number of coronavirus-related deaths in O'Brien and Clay counties ticked upwards over the past week, increasing from 42 to 45 and from eight to 10, respectively. Statewide deaths increased from 2,898 to 3,340 during that same time period.

Fourteen-day COVID-19 positivity rates in O'Brien and Clay counties fluctuated slightly. O'Brien County's was at 19.3 percent on Wednesday morning, up from 18.8 percent the week before. Clay County was down from 20.3 percent to 19.7. Statewide, the positivity rate declined from 15.7 percent Dec. 9 to 14.5 percent Wednesday.

O'Brien County has recorded 1,136 recoveries since the pandemic began while Clay County has tallied 949. Overall infections in O'Brien County were at 1,484, while Clay County's were at 1,432.

As of Monday, there were 798 Iowans hospitalized with coronavirus-related complications. That number is down by 100 from the same time last week. One was from O'Brien County and three were from Clay County.