Three weeks ago marked the first time every single Indiana county was in the “red” category, which indicates unchecked community spread of COVID-19, on the state’s coronavirus tracking map.
But now, LaGrange, Pulaski, Lake and Adams counties have dropped into the “orange” category, which indicates high spread of the virus.
All other WVPE listener counties are still in the “red,” and have been so since Jan. 12.
However, new statewide COVID cases have continued to decrease. On Wednesday, Indiana reported 2,969 new cases and the seven-day moving average was 2,690.
That’s a massive drop from the state’s one-day case record of 17,489, which was set three weeks ago on Jan 20.
Between Oct. 21 and Nov. 3, the seven-day moving average plateaued between 1,550 and 1,650.
Hospitalizations have also decreased in Healthcare District Two, which covers most of the WVPE listening area.
As of Wednesday, there were 178 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 9 more suspected of having the disease for a total of 187.
It’s the first time local hospitalizations have dropped below 212 since Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving.
And 23.9 percent of area ICU beds are available — 7.6 percentage points better than the statewide average of 16.3 percent.
Statewide hospitalizations have also decreased. Currently, 2,036 Hoosiers are hospitalized with COVID-19, 1,483 less than the Jan. 13 peak of 3,519.
According to Indiana’s vaccine dashboard, 56.3 percent of Hoosiers aged 5 and older and 60.4 percent of Hoosiers aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated.
In addition, 45.5 percent of fully vaccinated Hoosiers have received COVID-19 booster shots.
But vaccination rates still vary widely by zip code.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, all counties in Indiana and Michigan have “high” community spread of the virus. That means both vaccinated and unvaccinated Michiganders and Hoosiers should wear masks indoors.
Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.
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