COVID cases still on the rise

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Putnam County is currently one of the cooler spots for COVID-19 in the state, though that’s not saying much these days.

As Indiana finds itself in the grips of a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Putnam is one of just five of Indiana’s 92 counties currently designated as yellow, the second-lowest risk level in the county metrics issued by the Indiana State Department of Health each Wednesday.

With a weekly rate of 196 cases per 100,000 residents and a seven-day positivity rate on all tests of 6.55 percent, Putnam County was issued a score of 1.5 on a scale of 0-3.

The rating is indicative of the statistics for the week ending Nov. 8.

To the west, Clay County has seen a sharp increase in cases and is one of nine counties rated at three for a red designation.

All other surrounding counties are rated orange, with a score of two for Montgomery, Hendricks, Morgan and Owen, and a 2.5 for Parke.

No counties in the state are currently blue, indicating the lowest risk level.

Comparisons to the rest of the state should not paint a rosy picture, however, as cases continue to rise locally.

The 26 new cases confirmed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, marked the county’s second-largest single-day increase of the pandemic, second only to when an outbreak was discovered at Putnamville Correctional Facility in August.

That is not the case currently, as Department of Correction data shows steady numbers at the prison currently.

The county has had 972 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March.

More alarming, deaths from COVID-19 have become more frequent in the community, with 15 of the county’s 23 deaths in the pandemic occurring since Sept. 15.

Numbers in local schools remain relatively low, though they continue to rise, with a total of six students and four staff members having tested positive at North Putnam, three students and one staff member at South Putnam, three students and three staff members at Cloverdale and three students and two staff members at Greencastle.

DePauw University is reporting 13 active cases on campus, with 14 students in isolation and 77 others on quarantine for possible exposure.

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  • It has always been curious to me why the government narrative is the only reported "news" about covid.

    Therapies that are used in other places aren't reported on here. (Did I miss that?)

    Are they even allowed to be used?

    I've been informed that, other than hospitals, certain preventative therapies aren't allowed as a choice from your personal doctor here. Why is that?

    Does the fear of covid overshadow and cause more mental harm than the reality?

    How much damage is being done from restrictions to:

    School children

    Older citizens

    Special needs citizens

    Small businesses

    Gatherings of all sorts

    Some are at a higher risk, just as it is with other contagions. But everyone is not at the same level of risk of severe complications or death.

    Readily available therapies would allow for more normal activities now, why wait for vaccines.

    -- Posted by direstraits on Fri, Nov 13, 2020, at 8:06 AM
  • *

    Perhaps the "government narrative" is the source of news, because ISDH is where the scientists and statisticians who maintain the health data are?

    When there's a hurricane coming, rational folks trust NOAA; when it's a pandemic, they trust ISDH.

    -- Posted by Bunny1E on Fri, Nov 13, 2020, at 9:38 AM
  • Adbucket - The key word there is rational.

    -- Posted by unbiased on Fri, Nov 13, 2020, at 10:28 AM
  • Denying therapies to people, that could benefit (or even save) their lives, is to a rational person...irrational.

    -- Posted by direstraits on Fri, Nov 13, 2020, at 6:54 PM
  • I agree that the panic for the average person is overblown. Most people will be just fine after encountering the virus and recovering from an infection.

    The danger to a small percentage of our population can not be overstated. Those people will die (and are currently dying) from contact with COVID.

    Those at highest risk should take all necessary precautions and use all available therapies to prevent exposure and/or treat infections. The rest of us need to work.

    -- Posted by techphcy on Fri, Nov 13, 2020, at 7:29 PM
  • Did anyone notice the part where our rate is based on 100,000 people when Putnam County only has around 37,000. That means they multiply our numbers for 100,000 to get their number. Not really too accurate if you ask me.

    -- Posted by spcash on Fri, Nov 13, 2020, at 10:35 PM
  • My oldest son is currently fighting a fever from the results of COVID. He's a "healthy" male with a four month old baby. There's also other children in the home. Where is contacted this virus is unknown. Either from his job in the medical field or the children attending in school classes. Yet, where I work, individuals DO NOT take the mask mandate serious and choose to not wear their face masks properly. They have to defy the rules, like they defy the law. WE all need to do our part on what's necessary to fight this. We can't sit around and wait the government to come up with a cure or vaccine. CDC has issued "reccomendations" and it would be best if we ALL followed and not through a **** temper tantrum like two year old's. Just like when you get in your car, you drive on the correct side of the road. Or when you walk out of your home, you put shoes and clothes on and not walk around naked. Wear the masks. Practice social distancing. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. It's that simple. And I pray to God my son pulls through.....

    -- Posted by MAY04 on Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 7:36 AM
  • Techphcy...the rest of us do need to work, agree. However, wearing a mask (properly), social distancing and extra hand washing/sanitizing is just the right thing to do. It’s going to take more than just those high risk persons taking precautions to hopefully get this under control and stop another possible lockdown. No matter what is said about the severity or lack of for most people, it’s the numbers which are being looked at and decisions based on. My opinion or two cents....disclaimer.

    -- Posted by kbmom on Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 7:53 AM
  • 98 percent survival rate. "two more weeks, flatten the curve"

    -- Posted by davide_norris on Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 9:33 AM
  • *

    Imagine living such a life of privilege that being told you need to wear a mask feels like oppression to you. The people that refuse to wear masks are selfish pathetic a##holes.

    -- Posted by RSOTS on Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 9:51 AM
  • RSOTS -- You hit the nail on the head!

    MAY04 -- I hope your son gets better and makes a full recovery!

    -- Posted by BJCP96 on Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 12:10 PM
  • Watching Wish-TV news this morning it was reported that the Governor issued a statement that "if a business fails to comply with the mandatory mask mandate they will first be fined, and repeated offenses will result in the business being closed down"

    -- Posted by Workingthesoil on Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 12:21 PM
  • Not hearing even anecdotal use of therapeutics being used here, that was my main point and concern. These posts inevitably wander off into masks, distancing etc...

    I know individuals (not from here) that contracted this virus and were given therapeutics at early onset and the duration of the symptoms was minimal. Recovery was complete.

    Now they have antibodies...get it?

    The point being, if there are ways to beat this thing after contracting it why not promote that as a viable approach?

    How often do you hear that in the news?

    -- Posted by direstraits on Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 4:02 PM
  • "Imagine living such a life of privilege that being told you need to wear a mask feels like oppression to you."

    RSOTS, are you singling out Stardust Hills?

    -- Posted by Prince of Stardust Hills on Sat, Nov 14, 2020, at 6:10 PM
  • RSOTS took that quote from Twitter. Nice. Not sure the point of it but to participate in the unending circle of derision creating division. Cutting each other down has mended the fences!

    But, as it was said once, keep doing the same thing and expecting something different to happen......

    -- Posted by beg on Sun, Nov 15, 2020, at 12:10 AM
  • and sadly, my comment also keeps that unending circle from being broken.

    Sorry about the contribution.

    -- Posted by beg on Sun, Nov 15, 2020, at 12:13 AM
  • BEG, no worries. My comment was an attempt at humor as there is the possibility that RSOTS had, or has, a great deal of familiarity with Cloverdale.

    But it is good to know that among other things, he is also a plagiarist.

    -- Posted by Prince of Stardust Hills on Sun, Nov 15, 2020, at 5:54 AM
  • *

    Oh Beg - bless your heart you poor thing. You do realize there are 145 million daily users on Twitter correct? There are 500 million tweets / replies daily which is about 6000 tweets per second so yeah probably everything anyone could say or think is on Twitter lol.

    Please if you're going to let me live in your head at least charge rent.

    And POSH I was more thinking Apple Blossom when I referenced life of privilege ;)

    -- Posted by RSOTS on Sun, Nov 15, 2020, at 8:35 AM
  • *

    direstraits, the Banner is a local news source. It reports local news, like local infection numbers.

    More general news about the efficacy of treatment therapies, is not local news. It is the journalistic domain of more national and global news sources.

    -- Posted by Bunny1E on Sun, Nov 15, 2020, at 8:49 AM
  • Since we are under a mask mandate. Why is it when you go to Walmart you see all these self pathetic a##holes that don't wear a mask. Good way to keep the covid going.

    -- Posted by my opinion 2 on Sun, Nov 15, 2020, at 7:01 PM
  • Since the governor issued this new mandate I do hope someone takes this serious and these businesses do get fined. Locally- Walmart and Casey’s.

    -- Posted by Nit on Sun, Nov 15, 2020, at 7:54 PM
  • So, if someone has had the virus and has beaten it through therapies or naturally developed immunities (maybe soon a vaccine) does the mandate to wear a mask and social distancing still apply?

    -- Posted by direstraits on Mon, Nov 16, 2020, at 5:47 AM
  • COVID continues to increase. Officials are again giving more strict guidelines to help keep cases from increasing. I was in Dollar General today, and there were more people not wearing masks than were wearing them. I think these stores should be fined if they are allowing people to come in without a mask as this is supposed to be a mandatory rule.

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Mon, Nov 16, 2020, at 3:47 PM
  • direstraits: Going only from what I read, it is reported that people are experiencing Covid more than once. Queen53- I also was in Dollar general and even the workers had no mask, I was in the hardware store and most workers were mask free, hair salons , convenience stores are not at 100% compliance. And they sure aren't even saying anything to customers about no mask.

    -- Posted by Workingthesoil on Mon, Nov 16, 2020, at 4:18 PM
  • But who is the 'police' to say anything to these stores? Does the governor specify certain people to check all of our local stores?

    -- Posted by Nit on Mon, Nov 16, 2020, at 4:23 PM
  • It would be wonderful if stores could prevent customers from entering without a mask, but who pays this person's salary? The store? Good luck with that. Many businesses are Mom-and-Pop and are barely making it during these rough times. In addition, what powers are these gatekeepers to have? Will they be allowed to physically assault potential customers to prevent their entry? Will they be allowed to use chemicals or defensive sprays on those not wearing masks to prevent entry? Will the stores be forced to purchase or build special doors? What about the parents or folks who are desperate for supplies but left their masks at home? If someone is hurt while trying to enter a store without a mask, who picks up the liability for the inevitable lawsuit, or will the government grant immunity to stores and employees trying to block desperate customers?

    -- Posted by Prince of Stardust Hills on Mon, Nov 16, 2020, at 6:59 PM
  • *

    B/c some of you will only follow the science...

    https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2029717

    New England Journal of Medicine. United States Marine Corps.

    Mandatory quarantine/lock-downs AND mask usage study.

    Conclusion: lock-downs and quarantines are not effective for stopping the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Tue, Nov 17, 2020, at 8:56 AM
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