Rise in COVID-19 cases in South Bend, Evansville concerns Indiana officials
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Some Indiana counties changed colors Wednesday on the state’s COVID-19 map, indicating a change for the worse.
The map is based on the weekly number of cases per 100,000 people and the seven-day average positivity rate.
The State Department of Health shares the color-coded map each Wednesday. Counties are shown in blue (the best), yellow, orange or red (the worst). This week, eight counties were marked orange: six were in the southwest part of the state, and among them is Pike County, the only part of Indiana now in the red.
The state’s health commissioner, Dr. Kris Box said Wednesday about the orange counties in southwest Indiana, “We have specifically looking at that and we’ll have the opportunity to share that. I talked last week with the local health officers, all of them from that region. Dr. Weaver met with the hospitals from that region and we are having more conversations tomorrow with the southwest region of Indiana.”
Box said in at least one of those counties, a large event is to blame for a rise in cases. She added contact tracing suggests funerals, weddings, sporting events and some bars and restaurants in that region have also contributed.
Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke shared a video Monday pleading with his community to wear masks and practice social distancing. He said, at most of the events Box mentioned, many people weren’t doing either.
“It’s not our intent to shut down the community; however, we are asking you to use common sense and follow the recommendations everyone is tired of hearing about. I get it, I’m suffering from COVID fatigue just like everybody else, but this is our new reality until COVID-19 is defeated,” Winnecke said.
He pointed out the region’s hospitals are almost at capacity with COVID patients, a point which he said is worrisome as flu season fast approaches. The concern also carries to the other end of the state, in the South Bend area.
Data from Tuesday showed Indiana hospitals were treating 1,081 COVID-19 patients, a level the state last recorded in May. It also puts Indiana at 12 straight days were hospitalizations were over 900.
Box said she knows the color-coded map shows many counties still marked blue, the best condition, but she wants people to remember how quickly that can change. “A lot of people have told me being in (Indiana’s Back on Track) Stage 5 (reopening plan) means we’re back to normal, kind of pre-COVID, and it really doesn’t,” Box said.