Almost all WVPE listener counties are now in the “orange” category, which indicates high spread of COVID-19, on the state’s coronavirus tracking map.
Five weeks ago, every WVPE listener county was in the most serious “red” category, which indicates unchecked community spread of the virus.
But now, only Kosciusko County remains in the “red” after St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall, Fulton, Starke and LaPorte counties dropped to the “orange” category this week.
Pulaski and LaGrange counties dropped into the “orange” last week, but LaGrange has now entered the “yellow” category, indicating moderate spread.
The situation has also improved statewide — four weeks ago marked the first time all 92 Indiana counties were in the “red.” Fifty-two still are, but 36 are now “orange” and four are “yellow.”
And cases have continued to decrease statewide.
On Tuesday, Indiana reported 1,447 new cases — less than half of last Tuesday’s 3,342 — and the seven-day moving average was 1,820, about a third less than last Tuesday’s 3,181.
That’s a massive drop from the state’s one-day case record of 17,489, which was set four 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 continued decreasing in Healthcare District Two, which covers most of the WVPE listening area.
As of Tuesday, there were 116 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 8 more suspected of having the disease for a total of 124 — a 70-patient decrease from last Tuesday.
And 32.1 percent of area ICU beds are available — 8.2 percentage points better than last week, and 13.9 percentage points better than the statewide average of 18.2 percent.
Statewide hospitalizations have also decreased. Currently, 1,525 Hoosiers are hospitalized with COVID-19, 1,994 less than the Jan. 13 peak of 3,519.
According to Indiana’s vaccine dashboard, 56.4 percent of Hoosiers aged 5 and older and 60.5 percent of Hoosiers aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated.
In addition, 46.2 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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