Kosciusko Turns ‘Blue’ On Advisory Map; Four New COVID-19 Deaths Reported
By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Kosciusko County’s COVID-19 positivity rate has fallen for two consecutive weeks, moving the county into the “blue” category on the “advisory level” map used by the state health department.
The advisory level is used to establish guidelines for counties regarding restrictions on gatherings. Kosciusko County will now follow “blue” guidelines.
The county’s positivity rate is 2.8%, according to the Indiana Department of Health dashboard. This is a slight decrease from a 3.1% positivity rate reported last week.
IDH relies on a color-coded county map that measures percent positivity and new cases per 100,000 residents. The baseline for red is 15%.
Whitley County is now in the “yellow” category on the two-metric map with an 8.2% positivity rate; this rate has decreased since last week. However, Whitley County must still follow “orange” guidelines.
Fulton County is back to “yellow” on the two-metric map after being “blue” last week. The county has a 5.4% positivity rate.
Marshall County has continued to remain “blue” on the two-metric map and is now able to follow “blue” guidelines. Wabash County is currently in the “blue” category on the two-metric map. However, Wabash County must still follow “yellow” guidelines.
Under Gov. Eric Holcomb’s pandemic requirements, social gatherings of any kind in yellow counties are limited to 100 people.
Since Wednesday, Feb. 24, Kosciusko County has seen four new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the county’s total to 111. The county has 8,574 positive cases.
Marshall County Health Department recently reported one new COVID-19 death since Feb. 24, bringing the county’s total to 105. The county has 5,432 positive cases.
More than 4,900 people in Kosciusko County have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. This is up from 3,500 reported last week.
An estimated 9,930 people in Kosciusko County have been administered their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 608,000 Hoosiers are considered to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. This is up from 482,000 reported last week.
According to statewide demographics, more than 53% of those fully vaccinated are individuals who are 70 and older. 62% of people fully vaccinated are female.
Statewide, the IDH website shows the number of COVID-19 deaths in Indiana rose to 12,200.
The total positive number of reported COVID-19 cases in Indiana is now at 663,511. More than 8,093,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered to Hoosiers.
Locally, Fulton County has 1,793 positive cases, Wabash County has 3,323 positive cases, and Whitley County has 3,498 positive cases. Noble County has 5,101 positive cases and Elkhart County has 25,423.
In other northern Indiana counties, Lake County has 48,510 positive cases; Allen County has 35,951 positive cases; and St. Joseph County has 30,096 positive cases.
According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, more than 517,000 people in the United States have died due to COVID-19.