News Flash

COVID-19 Vaccine Phase 1B Update

LINN COUNTY, IA – As Phase 1B of the COVID-19 Vaccine rollout continues this week, Linn County Public Health has updated information for Phase 1B populations, which include persons 65 and older, prioritized frontline workers, and specific populations vuln...

Mask Mandate Still in Effect in Linn County

Linn County residents, businesses, and visitors are reminded that the mask mandates previously put in place by the City of Cedar Rapids, the Linn County Board of Health, and the Linn County Board of Supervisors are still in effect in Linn County. The regu...

Limited COVID-19 Vaccines Available to Persons 65 and Older Beginning January 26

LINN COUNTY, IA – On Tuesday, January 26, individuals 65 years and older will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine in Linn County. Today, MercyCare Clinics, UnityPoint Health Clinics and several independent health care providers will begin to contact their pr...

Linn County Public Health Utilizes CARES Act Funds to Help Community Partners Prevent COVID-19

On November 3, Governor Reynolds allocated $3 million of CARES Act funds as a grant for local county health departments, based on a per capita basis, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Linn County Public Health (LCPH) received notification on Novemb...

Initial COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Arrives in Linn County

LINN COUNTY, IA – Linn County’s first allotment of COVID-19 vaccine arrived today at Mercy Cedar Rapids and UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s Hospital. Each hospital received 975 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to offer to frontline healthcare ...

Linn County Public Health and Community Partners Prepare for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Linn County Public Health (LCPH), in coordination with community partners, has been preparing to receive and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. With the first COVID-19 vaccine expected to arrive as early as next week, vaccination will soon begin among certa...

Linn County Public Health Urges Residents to Review and Follow Holiday Guidance to Combat COVID-19

Linn County residents have begun to decide how, and with whom, to celebrate the upcoming holidays as confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to climb to all-time highs. At this time, the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 increases dramatically when individua...

Linn County Issues Face Covering Regulation

Due to the alarming surge in positive COVID-19 cases and record-breaking hospitalizations across the country and locally, the Linn County Board of Supervisors today signed a resolution unanimously approving the Linn County Board of Health’s face...

Linn County Public Health Updates COVID-19 Close Contact Definition and Releases Additional Guidance

LINN COUNTY, IA – Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Linn County continue to climb to unprecedented numbers since the pandemic first began. This increase in cases within a short amount of time will also push our healthcare system towards a critical level, aff...

State of Iowa Announces Change to COVID-19 Close Contact Definition

LINN COUNTY, IA – Today, Governor Reynolds announced a change in the definition the State of Iowa is using to define close contacts for the purposes of contact tracing of positive COVID-19 cases. The CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, def...

Willow Gardens Care Center Recovers from COVID-19 Outbreak

LINN COUNTY, IA – As of August 17, 2020, Willow Gardens Care Center, a long-term care facility in Linn County, has recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak, which began affecting the facility in June. Recovery is defined as no new cases for two cons...

Linn County Public Health Urges All Residents to Wear Cloth Face Coverings in Public Settings

LINN COUNTY, IA – Linn County Public Health strongly recommends all residents and visitors to consistently and correctly wear a cloth face covering in public settings and when around people who do not live in your household, especially when phys...

Linn County Public Health Releases Return to School Guidance during Community Spread of COVID-19

LINN COUNTY, IA – COVID-19 remains present in our community, and will continue to have a direct impact on the daily operations of local schools. To assist school districts and help support administrators, staff, students, and families return to ...

Linn County Public Health Recommends Community to Take Measures to Slow COVID-19

LINN COUNTY, IA – A significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases were reported over two consecutive weeks, mainly among 18 to 25 year olds. This 189 percent increase from 35 to 101 new cases occurred between June 7^th and June 21^st. Conti...

Linn Manor Care Center Recovers from COVID-19 Outbreak

LINN COUNTY, IA – As of June 26, 2020, Linn Manor Care Center, a long-term care facility in Linn County, has recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak, which began affecting the facility in early-April. Recovery is defined as no new cases for two con...

Linn County Public Health and Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission to Host Virtual Town Hall June 12

LINN COUNTY, IA – June 10, 2020 – Linn County Public Health and the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission have partnered to host another COVID-19 virtual town hall on Friday, June 12 at 12 p.m. The virtual town hall will be held via GoT...

Linn County Begins Phase Two of Reopening during Community Spread of COVID-19

LINN COUNTY, IA – On May 14, 2020, Linn County Public Health released phased reopening guidance, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other national organizations. The three-phased approach enables businesses to reopen in ...

Cottage Grove Place Recovers from COVID-19 Outbreak

LINN COUNTY, IA – As of June 8, 2020, Cottage Grove Place, a long term care facility in Linn County, has recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak which began impacting the facility in mid-April. Recovery is defined as no new cases for two consecutiv...

Linn County Public Health Continues to Provide Weekly COVID-19 Updates

LINN COUNTY, IA – Linn County Public Health continues to provide weekly Community Partner Updates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weekly updates help keep the community informed about the latest information and resources available, and are accessi...

Linn County Public Health Releases Phased Reopening Guidance During Community Spread of COVID-19

LINN COUNTY, IA – Linn County Public Health recommends a phased reopening, in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and other national organizations. This three-phased approach enables businesses to reopen, and events and gatherings to ...

Linn County Public Health Releases Multi-Lingual COVID-19 Toolkit

A multi-lingual toolkit, recently released to community partners and available for viewing at LinnCounty.org/MultilingualResources, is the first in a series of several toolkits created to distribute in response to COVID-19.

A multi-lingual toolkit has been...

Linn County Board of Health Releases Letter to Community Regarding COVID-19

LINN COUNTY, IA – On April 8, 2020, the Linn County Board of Health approved a letter (PDF) to the community regarding recommended actions to stop the spread of COVID-19.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit:

• Linn County Public Health web...

Scam Alert: Individual comes to residence posing as public health employee

LINN COUNTY, IA - Linn County Public Health (LCPH) has been notified by a resident that an individual claiming to be a public health employee attempted to gain access inside their home. The person told the resident they needed to come inside to make sure ...

Guidance for Preventing COVID-19 Spread Within Long Term Care Facilities

LINN COUNTY, IA – Linn County Public Health is working closely with a local long-term care facility in response to a COVID-19 outbreak. The Iowa Department of Public Health and Linn County Public Health are working closely with this facility to ...

First COVID-19 Death Confirmed in Linn County

LINN COUNTY, IA - Linn County Public Health (LCPH) has been notified of the first death associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Linn County. The 61-80 year old male had underlying health conditions.

“We extend our deepest sympathies t...

Longbranch Restaurant and Bar Attendees Asked to Self-Isolate

Linn County Public Health received notification that a D.J. that performed at The Longbranch Restaurant and Bar on Friday, March 6, and Friday, March 13, has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Anyone who was at the The Longbranch Restaurant and Bar on these da...

Linn County Public Health Encourages Communities to Prepare for Potential COVID-19 Cases

LINN COUNTY, IA – The first COVID-19 cases in Iowa were announced this week, which has resulted in increasing awareness and preparation for the potential spread of COVID-19 to Linn County communities. Linn County Public Health (LCPH) continues t...