COVID-19 Positivity Rates Plummeting
By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — COVID-19 positivity rates in Indiana have decreased significantly.
On Feb. 12, all counties in the state but four were in the “red” category on the Indiana Department of Health’s color-coded COVID-19 map. Now, only four counties in Indiana are in the “red” category.
The color-coded map measures percent positivity and new cases per 100,000 residents, with the baseline for red being 15%.
Wabash and Fulton Counties are in the “orange” category, with 11.4% and 12.5% positivity rates, respectively. Whitley, Marshall, Elkhart and Kosciusko Counties are all in “yellow,” with 6.7%, 8%, 10% and 11.3% being the respective positivity rates.
Even though Elkhart and Kosciusko Counties’ positivity rates would be in the “orange” category, averaging these rates with both counties’ weekly cases per 100,000 residents results in the “yellow” category. Elkhart is seeing 82 weekly cases per 100,000 while Kosciusko is reporting 98 per 100,000.
Since Feb. 12, Kosciusko County has reported four new COVID-19 deaths. This brings the county to 220 COVID-19 deaths and 19,630 positive cases.
Wabash County recently reported one new death. This brings Wabash County to 148 deaths and 8,654 positive cases.
Whitley County recently reported two new deaths. This brings Whitley County to 78 deaths and 9,600 positive cases.
More than 32,200 people in Kosciusko County have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
More than 3,680,000 Hoosiers are considered to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. According to statewide demographics, about 56% of those fully vaccinated are individuals who are 45 and older. About 53% of people fully vaccinated are female.
Statewide, the IDH website shows the number of COVID-19 deaths in Indiana rose to 21,818.
The total positive number of reported COVID-19 cases in Indiana is now at 1,678,628. More than 18,870,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered to Hoosiers.
Since the pandemic began, locally, Fulton County has reported 4,856 positive cases. Marshall County has reported 12,256 positive cases, Noble County has reported 13,002 positive cases, and Elkhart County has reported 53,806.
In other northern Indiana counties, Lake County has 105,242 positive cases; Allen County has 103,097 positive cases; and St. Joseph County has 70,041 positive cases.
According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, about 940,000 people in the United States have died of COVID-19.