Washington County has been ranking in the top five counties in Iowa with COVID-19 cases, but the county’s public health director says that is because the county has been more aggressive in testing people.

As of Tuesday morning, Washington County had 57 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

This disease does not just affect the elderly. The positive cases in the county are spread fairly evenly among three age groups – 18 to 40 year olds, 41 to 60 year olds and 61 to 80 year olds – each with between 13 and 18 cases.

Public Health Director Danielle Pettit-Majewski said the actual number is probably much higher. The people testing positive today most likely contracted the disease 10 to 21 days ago.

The state does not provide her with a breakdown of where the cases are occurring.

“We are not able to narrow down the data to specific communities,” Pettit-Majewski said. “We have community spread.”

That’s why social distancing is so important.

“This virus doesn’t move; we move it,” she said. “If we are at home, it is not moving.”

She urged people to do the simple things needed to slow the spread of the disease:

• Stay home.

• Wash your hands.

• Limit trips out to essential needs.

• Just send one person out at a time on essential trips.

• Stay 6 feet away from other people.

“I know it’s hard,” Pettit-Majewski said.