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Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry has passed away after a brief battle with cancer.

Local Health Officials Urge Vigilance As COVID-19 Numbers Hold Steady

Mayor Tom Henry and several Allen County commissioners were joined by local health officials to emphasize vigilance against COVID-19, as case numbers surpassed 8,000 in Allen County Wednesday.

Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Matthew Sutter says the numbers may, in part, be the result of increased testing, but that’s not the only red flag.

“Because we’re also seeing our positivity rate go up and our hospitalization admission rate go up, I’m very concerned that we’re starting to see increased spread throughout the community,” Sutter said.

He adds that the trend can be traced back to a variety of factors, notably increased socialization around Labor Day and the state’s move to stage five of reopening last week, which some residents may have accepted as a green light to resume normal activities.

Dr. Jason Row of Parkview Health says their hospitalization rates currently match the “peak” rates in June and have doubled just in the last ten days, but adds that capacity at Parkview locations is okay, for now.

Row says in order to maintain staffing levels and bed capacity needs, local residents need to stay proactive.

“We’re really counting on you and grateful for you for the part that you can play, which is once again to continue to be vigilant about masking, social distancing and good hand hygiene,” said Row.

The county reported 99 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday morning with no new deaths; county totals now stand at 8,017 cases and 224 deaths.

Statewide, 1,766 new cases were reported with 15 deaths.

Zach joined 89.1 WBOI as a reporter and local host for All Things Considered, and hosted Morning Edition for the past few years. In 2022, he was promoted to Content Director.