A chart from the Indiana Department of Health shows a continuing decline in the number of statewide COVID-19 cases. Source: Indiana Department of Health

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — COVID-19 cases and reported deaths are continuing to decline locally and statewide.

With last week’s two-metric COVID-19 map, eight Indiana counties were in the “red” category. This number has now been halved. More counties are now in the “yellow” category, with most of the color changes occurring in central and southern Indiana.

Kosciusko, Marshall, Wabash, Whitley and Elkhart Counties remain in the “orange” category.

Locally, on the Indiana Department of Health two-metric COVID-19 map, Fulton County is also back in the “orange” category, with an 11.2% positivity rate. If Fulton County remains in this category for an additional week, the county will move to “orange” on the advisory level map.

IDH relies on a color-coded county map that measures percent positivity and new cases per 100,000 residents. The baseline for red is 15%.

Wabash County has reported one new COVID-19 death, which occurred on Monday, Oct. 18. This brings the county to 103 deaths and 5,309 positive cases.

Kosciusko County has reported 12,260 positive COVID-19 cases. The county has a high community transmission rate for COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC’s website categorizes transmission rates in four levels: low, moderate, substantial and high. The map shows that all but three of Indiana’s counties are in the ‘high’ category. About 85% of the United States is marked in the ‘high’ category.

The CDC website is updated regularly and you can search for specific counties here.

More than 29,800 people in Kosciusko County have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

More than 3,346,000 Hoosiers are considered to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. According to statewide demographics, about 53% of those fully vaccinated are individuals who are 50 and older. About 53% of people fully vaccinated are female.

The color-coded county metrics map on the IDH website shows a majority of counties in the “orange” category. Color-coded county metrics are based on each county’s seven-day positivity rate and the number of newly reported weekly cases per 100,000 residents. Orange counties are categorized as such when they have a seven-day positivity rate between 10% and 14.9% and/or 100 to 199 new weekly cases per 100,000 residents. Source: Indiana Department of Health

Statewide, the IDH website shows the number of COVID-19 deaths in Indiana rose to 15,883.

The total positive number of reported COVID-19 cases in Indiana is now at 1,003,647. More than 14,192,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered to Hoosiers.

Since the pandemic began, locally, Fulton County has reported 3,091 positive cases and Whitley County has reported 5,634 positive cases. Marshall County has reported 7,891 positive cases, Noble County has reported 8,003 positive cases and Elkhart County has 35,807.

In other northern Indiana counties, Lake County has 66,185 positive cases; Allen County has 57,674 positive cases; and St. Joseph County has 44,210 positive cases.

According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, more than 731,000 people in the Untied States have died due to COVID-19.

Vaccination Percentages by ZIP Code

COVID-19 vaccination percentages by county ZIP code are available on the state’s management performance hub.

• 46582 (Warsaw area) 53% of residents
• 46508 (Burket) 51% of residents
• 46538 (Leesburg) 50% of residents
• 46580 (Warsaw) 49% of residents
• 46555 (North Webster) 48% of residents
• 46567 (Syracuse) 48% of residents
• 46506 (Bremen area) 46% of residents
• 46962 (North Manchester area) 44% of residents
• 46590 (Winona Lake) 44% of residents
• 46910 (Akron) 42% of residents
• 46787 (South Whitley) 41% of residents
• 46542 (Milford) 39% of residents
• 46732 (Cromwell) 36% of residents
• 46562 (Pierceton) 36% of residents
• 46982 (Silver Lake) 36% of residents
• 46504 (Bourbon) 34% of residents
• 46539 (Mentone) 29% of residents
• 46510 (Claypool) 28% of residents
• 46550 (Nappanee) 27% of residents
• 46524 (Etna Green) 24% of residents