Iowa is ending its mandatory COVID-19 positive test reporting in April.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that it will not require reporting of positive COVID-19 tests to the Public Health Division effective on April 1. The department has collected COVID-19 tests since March 2020.

“This type of reporting no longer accurately reflects the prevalence of the virus in the state,” a release from the department states.

According to The New York Times, an average of 226 new positive cases were reported Wednesday. There have been 10,673 COVID-19 deaths in Iowa since March 2020.

The University of Iowa ended its online self-reporting tool on Aug. 1, 2022, and the Johnson County Public Health ended its contact tracing and case investigation on Jan. 4, 2022.

Iowa’s COVID-19 reporting dashboard will also be removed from the website starting on April 1. In its place, surveillance data will be published in a weekly influenza report. The Public Health Division will continue to monitor COVID-19 using other sources, including “Syndromic Surveillance,” which enables near real-time monitoring of illnesses.

COVID-19 case and positive test counts are not as useful because of the widespread use of at-home tests, the release states.

The state has no mandatory reporting for other respiratory illnesses, such as the flu, the release stated.

State Medical Director Doctor Robert Kruse emphasized that the Public Health Division will continue to monitor COVID-19.

“The Public Health Division will continue to work collaboratively with our local health departments, healthcare partners in the state, and partners at the federal level,” Kruse said in the press release.

TestIowa at Home will continue providing free at-home testing kits through 2023, the release states.