A Brown County Health Department registered nurse Genevieve Plessinger administers a COVID-19 test at the drive-thru testing area at the health department.
For the third time in less than two months the Brown County Fairgrounds will be the site of another drive-thru testing and vaccine clinic as COVID-19 cases continue to increase along with the demand for testing.
The drive-thru clinic will be Jan. 19 to 22 from noon to 8 p.m. at the fairgrounds, 802 Memorial Drive. No appointment is necessary.
From Jan. 5 to 12, Brown County reported an additional 111 positive COVID-19 cases, which is, so far, the most positive cases reported in a week’s time.
The free testing and vaccine clinic announcement came the same week that the county reported two additional COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total of lives lost since March 2020 to 54 as of Jan. 11. An additional death had been reported the week prior, bringing the total to three deaths reported in two weeks.
Vaccines for residents 5 years and older will be available at the free, drive-thru clinic. Booster doses or initial doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine will also be available.
PCR testing will also be available with results expected back in two to three days. Rapid tests will not be available. The state is currently experiencing an extreme shortage of rapid tests.
In response to the increase of positive cases and demand for testing, the health department also is now administering PCR testing from 9 to 11:45 a.m., Monday through Friday. On Mondays and Wednesdays testing is done from 4 to 7:45 p.m. Testing is also now be available on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
Last week, the county’s Emergency Health Preparedness Coordinator Corey Frost said that every appointment for testing that week was filled. Many of those seeking testing are locals, Frost said.
To schedule an appointment for PCR testing here or to get a vaccine call 211 or visit scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov.
As far as community spread goes, Brown County continues to bounce back and forth between the orange and red advisory levels on the Indiana State Department of Health’s state spread map.
After a brief moment in the orange advisory level on the spread map, Brown County was put back in the red last week, joining a majority of the state also at the same advisory level.
Only 11 counties in the far western, southern or northeastern part of the state remained at the orange advisory level as of Jan. 10.
According to the Indiana State Department of Health, the county’s seven day positivity rate for COVID-19 was 23% as of Jan. 10. The state virus spread metric map is updated every Wednesday.
At the end of the year, state officials warned of an expected “very steep rise” in COVID-19 cases in coming weeks as the omicron variant converges with an ongoing delta surge in the state.
As far as the effect of COVID-19 locally, most government meetings continue to meet in-person with the exception of a few boards like the Brown County Regional Sewer District and the Brown County Solid Waste Management District who have opted to meet on virtually on Zoom.
The county commissioners and town council have not issued additional mandates related to COVID-19.
But the increase in positive cases has affected how the Brown Circuit Court is operating.
Judge Mary Wertz said last week that she has had to continue three jury trials due to the current COVID-19 conditions locally.
Even before the recent increase in cases, Wertz would conduct the jury selection process for 12 person juries at the Brown County Fairgrounds then the seated jurors were able to use the courtroom as the jury room to allow for more social distancing.
Wertz said she uses Zoom and the telephone for hearings “as determined appropriate on a case-by-case basis.”
“Even before the recent surge in cases, I was conducting most hearings with inmates by Zoom. Due to current conditions, I am not transporting any inmates to the courthouse for hearings,” Wertz said in an email last week.
She added that any hearings that cannot be conducted by Zoom are rescheduled. Wertz said she also granted “many” continuances for hearings due to exposure and positive COVID-19 tests. Masks are required in the small hearing room, she added.
As of last week, the percentage of residents who are now partially vaccinated againstCOVID-19 was around 57%.
