May 6, 2021 at 4:40 p.m.
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Jay shifts back to moderate risk level
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The county’s COVID-19 numbers are trending in the wrong direction.
Jay County shifted back to “yellow” (moderate risk for the spread of coronavirus) in Wednesday’s Indiana State Department of Health update. The county had been “blue” (low risk) for the previous four weeks.
“In the last week, week and a half, we’ve seen an increase in cases in the county here,” said Jay County Health Department environmentalist and administrator Heath Butz. “Our positivity is trending in that direction today. Both of our metrics are heading in a negative direction.”
It was Jay County’s cases per 100,000 residents that pushed it over the threshold to shift from blue to yellow. That number was 137 this week, up drastically from just 48 the previous week. (County ratings are updated weekly on Wednesday based on Sunday’s numbers.)
The positivity rate locally also went up to 4.98%. That’s up from 3.36% the previous week. (As of Wednesday, the number continued to climb to 7.9%.)
With 21 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Jay County in the final four days of April, the month finished with a total of 68 cases. That’s the highest total since January. The county averaged 2.27 new cases of COVID-19 per day in April, up from 1.67 per day in March.
Butz said no individual event or location had been identified as responsible for the recent uptick in cases.
“If you look across the straight, there’s a few places that have rolled back in that direction,” said Butz. That’s especially true in the northern part of Indiana, where every county bordering Michigan and/or Lake Michigan was yellow or orange. “We need to keep trying to do those things that got us to where we’re at to help try to mitigate that and slow it down. … This can turn in the wrong direction fairly quickly.”
The state map showed a greater risk for spread of coronavirus, with 37 counties yellow and eight “orange” (high risk). Forty-seven were blue, down from 52 last week.
Delaware County was yellow for the second consecutive week. Blackford, Adams, Wells and Randolph counties were all blue.
While Jay County’s case numbers and positivity rate are both going up, the number of those getting vaccinations is “decreasing steadily,” said Butz.
The county’s seven-day average of daily doses administered was down to 51.6 as of Wednesday, the lowest since the county’s clinics first opened in January.
Vaccination clinics continue to be open at Jay County Health Department and IU Health Jay, and vaccinations are open to all Hoosiers ages 16 and older. Appointments can be made online at ourshot.in.gov or by calling the state’s 2-1-1 telephone assistance service. The health department has also opened its vaccination clinic to walk-ins from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We’d definitely like to get more people in here and get people vaccinated,” said Butz. “We’re having walk-ins and we have plenty of appointments available.”
As of Wednesday, 10,435 doses of coronavirus vaccine had been administered in Jay County. So far, 5,007 individuals have been fully vaccinated.
About 4.4 million doses have been administered statewide with just over 2 million fully vaccinated.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines encourage wearing a mask, avoiding close contact when around others, frequent hand washing and surface cleaning as ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The CDC last week updated its guidance, saying those who are vaccinated are safe to go without a mask at small outdoor gatherings. Indiana is under a “mask advisory,” meaning masks are recommended but not required.
Coronavirus is mainly spread through respiratory droplets or small particles from an infected person coughing, sneezing, talking or breathing. The CDC reports that it may be possible those particles and droplets remain suspended in the air for an unknown period of time and travel beyond 6 feet, especially indoors.
The virus causes a range of symptoms, including fever and shortness of breath, which can appear two to 14 days after exposure. Older adults and those with pre-existing health problems are susceptible to more severe illnesses
Jay County shifted back to “yellow” (moderate risk for the spread of coronavirus) in Wednesday’s Indiana State Department of Health update. The county had been “blue” (low risk) for the previous four weeks.
“In the last week, week and a half, we’ve seen an increase in cases in the county here,” said Jay County Health Department environmentalist and administrator Heath Butz. “Our positivity is trending in that direction today. Both of our metrics are heading in a negative direction.”
It was Jay County’s cases per 100,000 residents that pushed it over the threshold to shift from blue to yellow. That number was 137 this week, up drastically from just 48 the previous week. (County ratings are updated weekly on Wednesday based on Sunday’s numbers.)
The positivity rate locally also went up to 4.98%. That’s up from 3.36% the previous week. (As of Wednesday, the number continued to climb to 7.9%.)
With 21 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Jay County in the final four days of April, the month finished with a total of 68 cases. That’s the highest total since January. The county averaged 2.27 new cases of COVID-19 per day in April, up from 1.67 per day in March.
Butz said no individual event or location had been identified as responsible for the recent uptick in cases.
“If you look across the straight, there’s a few places that have rolled back in that direction,” said Butz. That’s especially true in the northern part of Indiana, where every county bordering Michigan and/or Lake Michigan was yellow or orange. “We need to keep trying to do those things that got us to where we’re at to help try to mitigate that and slow it down. … This can turn in the wrong direction fairly quickly.”
The state map showed a greater risk for spread of coronavirus, with 37 counties yellow and eight “orange” (high risk). Forty-seven were blue, down from 52 last week.
Delaware County was yellow for the second consecutive week. Blackford, Adams, Wells and Randolph counties were all blue.
While Jay County’s case numbers and positivity rate are both going up, the number of those getting vaccinations is “decreasing steadily,” said Butz.
The county’s seven-day average of daily doses administered was down to 51.6 as of Wednesday, the lowest since the county’s clinics first opened in January.
Vaccination clinics continue to be open at Jay County Health Department and IU Health Jay, and vaccinations are open to all Hoosiers ages 16 and older. Appointments can be made online at ourshot.in.gov or by calling the state’s 2-1-1 telephone assistance service. The health department has also opened its vaccination clinic to walk-ins from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We’d definitely like to get more people in here and get people vaccinated,” said Butz. “We’re having walk-ins and we have plenty of appointments available.”
As of Wednesday, 10,435 doses of coronavirus vaccine had been administered in Jay County. So far, 5,007 individuals have been fully vaccinated.
About 4.4 million doses have been administered statewide with just over 2 million fully vaccinated.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines encourage wearing a mask, avoiding close contact when around others, frequent hand washing and surface cleaning as ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The CDC last week updated its guidance, saying those who are vaccinated are safe to go without a mask at small outdoor gatherings. Indiana is under a “mask advisory,” meaning masks are recommended but not required.
Coronavirus is mainly spread through respiratory droplets or small particles from an infected person coughing, sneezing, talking or breathing. The CDC reports that it may be possible those particles and droplets remain suspended in the air for an unknown period of time and travel beyond 6 feet, especially indoors.
The virus causes a range of symptoms, including fever and shortness of breath, which can appear two to 14 days after exposure. Older adults and those with pre-existing health problems are susceptible to more severe illnesses
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