HANCOCK COUNTY — Indiana opened up COVID-19 vaccinations to those age 70 and older Wednesday.
The new group joins residents of long-term care facilities, first-responders and health care workers who have in-person contact with patients or infectious material in any health-care setting.
Wednesday’s announcement follows the state’s expansion of vaccinations to those 80 and older last Friday.
Those eligible for the vaccine can register at ourshot.in.gov, by calling 211 or by contacting one of Indiana’s Area Agencies on Aging for help. A caregiver or loved one also may make an appointment on behalf of an eligible senior.
CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions in Indianapolis is the agency on aging for the region Hancock County is in and can be reached at 317-254-5465 or 800-432-2422.
There is no cost to vaccination recipients, but insurance may be charged an administrative fee.
Three more Hancock County residents have died from COVID-19, the state also reported Wednesday.
All three victims were men in their 60s, and the deaths all occurred on Jan. 11 — the most in a single day for the county throughout the pandemic. They raised Hancock County’s death toll from the novel coronavirus to 94.
The county also reported 55 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, raising its total to 6,150.
Hancock County’s weekly metric score remained red — the most severe — keeping its advisory level the same color. Scores are based on weekly cases per 100,000 residents and seven-day positivity rates for all tests. Hancock County had 821 weekly cases per 100,000 residents, up from the previous week’s 733; and a seven-day positivity rate for all tests of 18.14%, up from the previous week’s 15.24%.
Advisory levels for all of Indiana’s counties were red Wednesday except for 15, which were orange, the second most severe. The designations are measurements of community spread of the virus.
For red counties, social gatherings are limited to 25 people and anything higher must be approved by the local health department. Attendance at winter indoor K-12 extracurricular and co-curricular events is limited to participants, support personnel and parents and guardians.
Another 723 COVID-19 tests for Hancock County brought that total to 72,050. The county’s seven-day positivity rate from Dec. 31 to Jan. 6 was 18.1% for all tests and 29.6% for unique individuals. Cumulatively, the rates for all tests are 10.3% and 17% for unique individuals.
Hancock Regional Hospital reported it was treating 11 COVID-19 patients Wednesday.
The state also updated weekly COVID-19 data for long-term care facilities Wednesday with figures through Jan. 6. Greenfield Healthcare Center reported nine new resident cases, fewer than five new staff cases and one new resident death, raising that total to 24. Woodland Terrace of New Palestine reported fewer than five new resident cases and fewer than five new staff cases. Traditions at Brookside and Pleasant View Lodge, both in McCordsville, reported fewer than five new staff cases, respectively.
Springhurst Health Campus in Greenfield, which provides regular COVID-19 updates online, reported Wednesday that 25 of its 103 residents and 14 of its 103 active employees were COVID-19 positive or presumed positive. The facility also reported a cumulative total of six COVID-19 related employee and resident deaths.
Golden LivingCenter-Brandywine, which also provides regular COVID-19 updates online, reported a cumulative total of 27 novel coronavirus deaths as of Jan. 11, three more than the figure the state reported for the facility in its last update on Jan. 6.
As of early Wednesday, 3,787 Hancock County residents have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 618 have been fully vaccinated. Statewide, 219,885 received a first dose and 40,281 have been fully vaccinated.
