Following a week where two additional COVID-19 deaths were reported locally, the Brown County Fairgrounds will once again be the site of a testing and vaccine clinic beginning Feb. 2.
The clinic at 802 Memorial Drive will offer both rapid and PCR testing. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will also be available, including booster shots. The clinic will run noon to 8 p.m. from Feb. 2 to 5, weather permitting.
Brown County Schools also announced changes last week to how it will notify families of students who may have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case in a classroom.
The change was made after “careful consideration” of updated guidance from the Indiana Department of Health, according to a message that went out to parents on Jan. 27 from Superintendent Emily Tracy. Jan. 27 was the same day the changes to COVID-19 quarantine and contact tracing guidelines began.
Now if a student tests positive in a classroom notification will be sent from the school to notify students and parents in that classroom that they may have been exposed since masks are worn in schools. Quarantine will be required only if a student is considered a close contact from lunch — when masks are not universally worn — or if symptoms start, the message states.
Contact tracing will continue during lunch because masks are not worn constantly in cafeterias and kids cannot be kept 6 feet apart, according to Tracy’s message.
As of Jan. 27, Helmsburg Elementary School had four positive cases reported, which was the highest number in the district. Brown County Middle School had three positive cases as of Jan. 27. The remaining schools had two or less reported.
A school will be closed under the school district’s educational service delivery plan when 16% or more of the building population is reporting symptoms of COVID-19. As of Jan. 27, HES had 6% of the building population reporting symptoms. The remaining buildings had less than 5% of their populations reporting symptoms.
The school district is also now allowed to accept negative results from home COVID-19 tests. If symptoms develop after a negative result on a home test then the student will need to quarantine until symptoms stop or they get a rapid or PCR test.
The health department will continue to offer extended hours for PCR testing as a response to the increase in positive cases and demand for testing.
PCR testing is available at the health department, 200 Hawthorne Drive, 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.
From Jan. 20 to 27, an additional 126 positive cases were reported in the county. That was the biggest jump in positive cases reported in one week in the county since March 2020.
Previously the highest jump was Jan. 12 to 19 with 121 positive cases reported.
As of Jan. 26, the county remained in the “red” status due to COVID-19 spread on the Indiana State Department of Health spread metric map along with the rest of the state. The red advisory level is the highest of four.
The ISDH updates the county-by-county status map at coronavirus.in.gov each Wednesday at noon based on positive test numbers and whether or not cases are increasing or decreasing.
On Jan. 26, one additional COVID-19 death was reported followed by another on Jan. 27, bringing the total of lives lost to the virus to 58..
From Jan. 20 to 27, the county reported an additional 126 positive COVID-19 cases. That is now the biggest jump in positive cases we have seen in one week since we started tracking COVID-19 stats back in March 2020. Previously the highest jump was Jan. 12 to 19 with 121 positive cases reported.
As of Jan. 28, 8,914 residents are at least partially vaccinated, which was up 25 compared to Jan. 21.
The percentage of residents who are now partially vaccinated remains at around 57 percent.
To schedule an appointment for PCR testing here or to get a vaccine call 211 or visit scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov.
