Indiana is seeing an increase in coronavirus cases, and two WVPE listener counties have moved to the “yellow” category, indicating moderate spread of the virus, on the state’s COVID-19 tracking map.
Both Fulton and LaGrange counties are now in the “yellow,” with Fulton receiving an extra alert due to a large number of weekly cases being traced back to close proximity gatherings. All other WVPE listener counties remain in the “blue.”
Statewide, 22 Indiana counties are in the “yellow” and three are in the more serious “orange” category. That’s a significant change from two weeks ago, when all WPVE listener counties were in the “blue” for the first time and just six counties were in the “yellow” statewide.
The state reported 612 new cases July 13 — the highest single-day total since May 27 — and 4.1 percent of tests are coming back positive.
The rise in cases is likely linked to the spread of virus variants — so far, the state has confirmed 273 cases of the highly contagious Delta variant.
According to the state’s vaccine dashboard, 49.5 percent of Hoosiers age 12 and over have been fully vaccinated. Recent studies on the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have found they’re still highly effective against the Delta variant.
Hospitalizations in Healthcare District 2, which covers most of the WVPE listening area, have remained low. As of July 13, only 12 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19 and 39.3 percent of ICU beds are available.
Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.
If you appreciate this kind of journalism on your local NPR station, please support it by donating here.
