After months stuck in the red for COVID-19 spread, Whitley County Health Department officials are optimistic they might be heading in the right direction: downward.
Whitley County Health Department Deputy Director Scott Wagner hopes to see the county start to trend into the “orange” category on the state’s coronavirus dashboard.
On Wednesday, the county was still in the red, but the 7-day positivity rate was down to 16.6 percent. The rate was at 17.9 percent on Tuesday.
The state’s COVID-19 designation is based on both the number of cases per 100,000 residents and the 7-day positivity rate. That rate needs to be below 15 percent to be out of the red.
All of northeast Indiana has improved to the orange or yellow levels, indicating continued improvement in the spread of COVID-19.
Wagner said the high positivity rate has been attributed to outbreaks at the county’s two long-term care facilities, and has seen recent spikes in positive tests at area schools.
The county’s vaccination efforts are proceeding well, and Wagner said the county is taking advantage of 1,000 doses a week available from the state.
He says the county’s vaccination site is getting about five shots an hour in the arms of those eligible.
COVID-19 hospitalizations jumped up by 17 patients in northeast Indiana, to 137 on Wednesday.
ICU capacity remains at about 26 percent, with only 12 percent of the area’s intensive care beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to the Indiana Department of Health.
Those between the ages of 50 to 59 are the largest share of those infected in northeast Indiana, with 16.1 percent.
The area’s 7-day positivity rate is at about 8.3 percent, and all area counties are in the orange or yellow, except for Whitley County.
Two additional deaths were reported in the area on Wednesday, one in Kosciusko County and one in Allen County.
There were 3,111 new tests administered for the illness in northeast Indiana.
The availability of rapid COVID-19 tests in northeast Indiana-- in Butler, Angola, Kendallville, and LaGrange--was announced Wednesday afternoon.
Northeast Indiana totals include:
- Adams County: 13 new cases for 3,108 total. No new deaths for 38 total. 7-day positivity rate at 7.8%.
- Allen County: 79 new cases for 34,022 total. One new death for 578 total. 7-day positivity rate at 8.3%.
- DeKalb County: 13 new cases for 3,619 total. No new deaths for 65 total. 7-day positivity rate at 11.7%.
- Huntington County: 25 new cases for 3,106 total. No new deaths for 63 total. 7-day positivity rate at 8.2%.
- Kosciusko County: 18 new cases for 8,245 total. One new death for 86 total. 7-day positivity rate at 6.1%.
- LaGrange County: 3 new cases for 2,359 total. No new deaths for 63 total. 7-day positivity rate at 12.4%.
- Noble County: 21 new cses for 4,876 total. No new deaths at 59 total. 7-day positivity rate at 6.3%.
- Steuben County: 12 new cases for 3,221 total. No new deaths for 48 total. 7-day positivity rate at 5.5%.
- Wabash County: 10 new cases for 3,147 total. No new deaths for 51 total. 7-day positivity rate at 5.5%.
- Wells County: 2 new cases for 2,413 total. No new deaths for 53 total. 7-day positivity rate at 5.3%.
- Whitley County: 11 new cases for 3,254 total. No new deaths for 26 total. 7-day positivity rate at 16.6%.
Sources include the Indiana Department of Health and local health department data.
