24 of 92 Indiana counties at highest risk for COVID-19 spread
INDIANAPOLIS (AP/WISH) — For a third straight week, more than a quarter of Indiana counties are rated with the highest risk level of coronavirus spread in Wednesday’s state update that continued to show no area in the low or moderate community spread zones.
The Indiana State Health Department tracking map labels 24 of the state’s 92 counties the most dangerous red category, down two from a week ago.
All other counties are in the next-riskiest orange rating of the four-level system.
The new county ratings come a day after state officials announced a flaw in Indiana’s COVID-19 reporting that is expected to change the state’s overall positivity rate and the metrics for individual counties once corrected.
The color ratings help to determine what limits are placed on local businesses and events to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The 24 counties with red ratings are: Benton, Brown, Carroll, Dearborn, DeKalb, Dubois, Elkhart, Fountain, Franklin, Grant, Jasper, LaGrange, Montgomery, Newton, Orange, Parke, Pulsaki, Ripley, Scott, Stueben, Switzerland, Warren, Washington and Whitley.
The state reported Wednesday that 7,306 Hoosiers have died of COVID-19.
A total of 476,538 Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, 18,460 are students, 3,798 are teachers and 4,610 are staff members in K-12 schools.
According to the Regenstrief Institute, 308,629 Hoosiers are estimated to have recovered from the virus.