Weekly COVID-19 update from Putnam County

Putnam County officials announced Friday that there have been 2941 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county since March. Putnam County is currently at a 12.1 percent positivity rate. For a further breakdown of cases please visit www.coronavirus.in.gov. The positive case number also may include positive cases at the state correctional facility located in Putnam County. To learn more, visit https://www.in.gov/idoc/3780.htm.

Putnam County is now back at a level orange according to the ISDH website. These requirements are in effect when a county reaches the orange metric and remain until a county moves to a lower status for two straight weeks.

Putnam County Hospital continues to offer curbside COVID testing. To schedule your appointment please go to https://scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov If the website is showing that there are no open appointments for the day please call our COVID curbside phone number. Testing hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. If you have any further questions or if the online scheduling is showing full please call (765) 301-7019. Putnam County Hospital asks that patients arrive no earlier than five minutes before their scheduled test to help with the flow of traffic. When a patient arrives they will follow the COVID-19 testing signs. These signs will direct them to the proper testing area.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) allowing shipments of COVID-19 vaccine to be sent to Indiana and other states.

Who is eligible to receive vaccine?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine:

Are you age 70 or older?

• Do you work or volunteer in healthcare and have (physical or close) contact or face to face interactions with patients? Examples include:

- Inpatient, outpatient, provider office setting, nursing homes, residential care facilities, assisted living facilities, in-home services

- This includes all clinical and non-clinical positions: clinicians, dietary, environmental services, administrators who have direct contact with patients, clergy who see patients in the healthcare setting, non-clinicians who assist in procedures, transportation staff, etc.

- This also includes local health department staff who interact with patients at test sites, health clinics or provide direct patient care

• Do you have exposure to COVID-19 infectious material? (Examples include cleaning of rooms or material from COVID-19 patients, performing COVID-19 testing, other exposure to infected tissue, performing autopsies or other post-mortem examinations of COVID-19 patients)

• Are you a first responder (fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, reservists and volunteers) who has contact with the public and could be called to the scene of an emergency?

The timeline for additional phases of vaccine administration is yet to be determined. Check back here frequently for updates.

Please be patient, as vaccine supply is limited. If you are a licensed healthcare provider, make sure your email is updated with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency and continue to check your email and SPAM. If you are eligible and haven’t received an invitation, please ask your employer.

The Putnam County Health Department continues to work with ISDH to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. PCHD will provide prompt updates on their website (www.putnamhealthindiana.org) once more information becomes available.

Putnam County is providing regular updates on COVID-19 to citizens as part of its effort to complement the daily updates from the Indiana State Dept. of Health. The updates can be accessed via www.coronavirus.in.gov.

How can you prevent the spread of COVID-19 until the vaccine is available?

The vaccine is in limited supply at first and won’t be widely available until next year. Until there is enough vaccine for everyone, it’s crucial for you to continue to take these steps that we can do now to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Wear a mask to protect yourself and others

• Stay at least 6 feet apart (about 2 arm lengths)

• Practice good hand hygiene by washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer

• Isolate yourself if you’re sick and stay home if you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19

• Clean frequently touched surfaces often

 

To learn more about Putnam County’s coordinated response to COVID-19, please visit the Putnam County Hospital at www.pchosp.org/covid-19-updates or the Putnam County Health Department at www.putnamhealthindiana.org.