Orange again; cases trend down

Risk is still, but cases are trending down.

Jay County was rated “orange” (high risk for the spread of coronavirus) for the 11th consecutive week Wednesday in the update from Indiana State Department of Health.

The local cases per 100,000 residents came down for the second week in a row, coming in at 249. That was down from 298 last week and 393 a week earlier.

In the other metric the state uses to determine risk levels, Jay County was essentially the same with a seven-day positivity rate of 10.75%. It was 10.74% last week.

After averaging 11.7 cases of COVID-19 per day in September and 9.3 per day for the first 19 days of October, numbers have declined over the last week-plus. Since Oct. 20, Jay County’s average cases per day have dipped to 5.1.

Indiana’s COVID-19 ratings map had been mostly orange for several weeks but was trending more toward “yellow” (moderate risk) this week. Forty-two of the 92 counties, including Delaware and Wells, were rated yellow this week and one (Monroe) was rated “blue” (low risk). Forty-eight, including Adams and Wells, were orange, and one (Blackford) was “red” (high risk).

Hospitalizations are also continuing to decline. District 6, which includes Jay County, had 158 as of Tuesday compared to 177 last week. The recent peak was 391 in September.

The number had hovered around 40 in July.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Clinics in Jay County are available at Jay County Health Department, Walgreens in Portland and CVS in both Portland and Dunkirk.

Vaccine boosters are now available for those 65 and older or those who are 18 and older and at high risk. (Anyone who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is eligible for a booster.) They are to be given six months or longer after completion of the first series of vaccines.

Jay County continues to rank sixth-lowest in vaccination rate among Indiana’s 92 counties. According to the CDC, 44.2% of those 12 and older in the county have been vaccinated.

The CDC also recommends wearing a mask indoors for those who are in an area of “substantial or high transmission,” which includes Jay County.

Coronavirus is mainly spread through droplets or particles from an infected person coughing, sneezing, talking or breathing. The virus causes a range of symptoms, including fever and shortness of breath, which can appear up to 14 days after exposure.