A graph shows the number of active, hospitalized active and recovered cases of COVID-19, as well as those who have died due to the virus, in Kosciusko County. Source: Kosciusko County Health Department

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Between noon Tuesday, Aug. 25, and noon Thursday, Aug. 27, the Kosciusko County Health Department reported a total of 16 new molecular and antigen COVID-19 cases.

Additionally, Kosciusko County has had four additional deaths added to the county’s COVID-19 death count.

These four deaths occurred within the last month and all were diagnosed with antigen testing, thus were not added to the county’s death toll until the changes made within the Indiana Department of Health at the beginning of this week. This brings the COVID-19 death toll in Kosciusko County to 16.

KCHD would also like to make note of the increased positivity rate reported on the IDH website. This rate is currently not an accurate representation of the positivity rates monitored through KCHD. The health department believes the increase could be related to the decreased access to testing for those that are asymptomatic or do not have a known exposure. KCHD also believes it may be due to the inconsistencies required by IDH when reporting lab results (molecular versus antigen.) The ISDH website county information should be taken with reservation; the statistics do not always render representative rates.

Important Updates From The Indiana Department of Health and CDC:

If you do not have COVID-19 symptoms and have not been in close contact with someone known to have a COVID-19 infection, you do not need a test. A negative test does not mean you will not contract an infection at a later time. If you decide to be tested, you should self-isolate at home until your test results are known and then adhere to your healthcare provider’s advice. This does not apply to routine screening or surveillance testing at work, school or similar situations.

If a student is tested, they and their household are to be excluded from school until they have a negative result or are positive and start isolation and quarantine. If a student has COVID-like symptoms, they and their household members are excluded from school until there is a negative or positive to indicate isolation and quarantine. If they have a negative test they can now return to school rather than be excluded for 10 days.

A map shows the number of positive COVID-19 cases by county. Source: Indiana State Department of Health

The county has 1,010 positive antigen and molecular cases. Currently, 834 Kosciusko County residents have recovered from COVID-19. Five cases are hospitalized active cases, with 155 classified as active. A “hospitalized active case” consists of any active cases that are currently or have been hospitalized at all during their illness. However, consistent with non-hospitalized cases, once their 21-day active period is completed, they are considered recovered.

Statewide, the latest posting on the ISDH website shows the number of COVID-19 deaths in Indiana rose to 3,047.

The total positive number of COVID-19 cases in Indiana is now at 90,504. More than 1,034,000 Hoosiers have been tested for COVID-19.

Locally, Whitley and Wabash Counties each have 200 positive cases. Fulton County has 201 positive cases, Marshall County has 871 positive cases, Noble County has 787 positive cases and Elkhart County has 5,485.

In other northern Indiana counties, Lake County has 8,872 positive cases; Allen County has 4,826 positive cases; and St. Joseph County has 4,922 positive cases, which is up from 4,692 reported on Tuesday.

According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, more than 2,084,000 people in the United States have recovered from COVID-19.