Caution tape wrapped around the chains of a tire swing marks a playground as closed due to coronavirus concerns at City Park, Wednesday, April 15, 2020, in Tiffin, Iowa. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette via AP)

Caution tape wrapped around the chains of a tire swing marks a playground as closed due to coronavirus concerns at City Park, Wednesday, April 15, 2020, in Tiffin, Iowa. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette via AP)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa prison system has had its first case of an inmate testing positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said Saturday, as the number of cases and deaths statewide continues to rise.

A team of Iowa State University researchers said the rate of the coronavirus’ spread has slowed but the state hasn’t fully controlled it yet.

INMATE TESTS POSITIVE

The first state prison inmate to test positive for coronavirus had been transferred Thursday from Henry County to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. The inmate was between 18 and 40 years old, and was sentenced to prison for a drug crime.

The inmate is in stable condition and in isolation while staff traces the inmate’s contacts, KWQC-TV reported. Newly admitted inmates at the center are being quarantined as a group for two weeks of observation.

ANOTHER 10 DEATHS

The state Department of Public Health reported another 10 COVID-19-related deaths Saturday, increasing the total to 74.

The department said the new deaths included one adult from 41 to 60 years old and two adults 81 years old or older in Linn County in eastern Iowa. The county, home to Cedar Rapids and the state’s second most populous county, has the most confirmed coronavirus cases with 332.

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The county has refrigeration trucks ready to serve as makeshift morgues for an increase in COVID-19-related deaths, KCRG-TV reported.

The state health department said that Polk County in central Iowa, the state’s most populous county and home to Des Moines, also saw three new deaths, two residents 61 to 80 years old and one 81 years old or older. Polk County has 293 confirmed cases.

CASES RISE STATEWIDE

The state saw its total number of confirmed coronavirus cases rise 7.8% Saturday to 2,513, up 181 cases.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.

VIRUS SPREAD SLOWING

The Iowa State University team based its conclusion that the spread of coronavirus in the state is slowing on a computer model the team developed, the Ames Tribune reported.

Yumou Qiu, an assistant professor of statistics and a team member, said the slowdown indicates the social distancing measures the state has taken are having an effect, but the continued spread of the virus means the pandemic’s effects are far from over.

He said the model relies on the coronavirus’ “effective reproduction number,” or average number of secondary cases for each infectious case. A figure of 1.0 — one secondary case for every infectious case — indicates the disease is spreading, and a value below that suggests the spread is decreasing.

Qiu said the value reached a peak of 3.91 on March 16. As of Friday, it was 1.65.