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As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have increased in Bartholomew County, so have deaths.
At least six Bartholomew County residents have died from COVID-19 in the past week, which matches the total number of deaths reported in the previous four months, according to the Indiana Department of Health.
So far, 167 Bartholomew County residents have lost their lives to the virus.
But with infections and hospitalizations remaining high in the Columbus area, the risk of additional deaths during the current outbreak of the virus remains.
State health officials have reported 935 positive COVID-19 tests in Bartholomew County so far this month, including 100 on September 10. In the past week, 382 tests have come back positive.
As of Friday morning, 30 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 at the Columbus Regional Hospital, including six patients listed in critical condition, the hospital said.
“Sadly, hospitalizations and deaths tend to be around three weeks late, so we’re not out of the woods just yet when it comes to the current outbreak,” said Dr Brian Niedbalski, County Health Officer. Bartholomew.
Bartholomew County first entered the state’s most serious risk category for community spread of COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to the state’s Coronavirus Dashboard.
Bartholomew County is now one of 22 counties listed in Indiana’s red category on its color-coded map, which is updated weekly.
The map is based on a scoring system put in place about a year ago that measures weekly cases per 100,000 population and the seven-day test positivity rate.
To be placed in the red category, counties must register at least 200 weekly cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents and a positivity rate of at least 15%, according to the dashboard.
The most recent update shows Bartholomew County with 447 weekly cases per 100,000 population and a positivity rate of 15.12%.
However, being in the red category did not surprise local health officials and is unlikely to change the local response to the pandemic.
Recently, much of the local response has focused on vaccinating as many people as possible and has strongly recommended that everyone in the county wear masks in all indoor spaces.
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. requires all staff, students and visitors to wear masks indoors.
“I don’t think a change in the color designation will make us fit very much locally,” Niedbalski said. weeks. Fortunately, we are starting to see new cases level off and the forecast is that cases will start to decline within the next week or two. “
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