As of this week, all WVPE listener counties are out of the most serious “red” category on Indiana’s COVID-19 tracking map.
For the first time since late August, no counties are in the red, which indicates unchecked spread of the coronavirus. That’s after Starke County moved to the “orange” category this week.
Elkhart, Kosciusko, Fulton, Marshall, Pulaski and LaGrange County are also in the orange, which indicates high spread of the virus. Two counties – St. Joseph and LaPorte – are in the “yellow” category, which indicates moderate spread.
Statewide, only one county is left in the “red” –– that’s down from four last week and 13 a month ago.
One county has even returned to the least serious “blue” category, which indicates low spread of the virus. Monroe County, in the southern part of the state, is the first blue county on the map in more than two and a half months.
Hospitalizations are slightly lower in Healthcare District Two, which covers most of the WVPE listening area. However, 21.5 percent of district ICU beds are available – down from 23.4 percent last week.
Statewide COVID cases have been declining since Sept. 14, where they hit a 7-day moving average peak of just over 4,100. As of Monday, they hit a 7-day moving average of 1,569 – a 15.4 percent decrease from last Monday’s 1,855.
According to the state’s vaccine dashboard, 57.3 percent of Hoosiers aged 12 and over have been fully vaccinated, but vaccination rates vary widely by zip code.
With the exception of Warren, Monroe and Union County, which have all dropped to “substantial,” all Hoosier counties still have “high” community spread of the virus according to the Centers for Disease Control.
That means both vaccinated and unvaccinated Hoosiers should wear masks indoors.
WVPE’s three Michigan counties – Berrien, Cass and St. Joseph – also have “high” community spread, as does the rest of the state.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
If you appreciate this kind of journalism on your local NPR station, please support it by donatinghere.
