HANCOCK COUNTY — The county added a COVID-19 death and 42 new cases Wednesday, the highest daily case count since Feb. 5.
According to information from the Indiana Department of Health, the county’s latest fatality from the novel coronavirus was a man in his 60s who died on Aug. 2. A total of 151 county residents are now known to have died from COVID-19.
The 42 new cases brought the county’s total to just under 8,900, and contribute to a trend in daily cases that’s been rising since last month.
Hancock County health officer Gary Sharp and Craig Felty, vice president, chief operations officer and chief nursing officer for Hancock Regional Hospital, said the novel coronavirus’s more contagious delta variant is driving that trend.
“If I can say two things that are contributing to this, it’s the delta variant and unvaccinated individuals,” Felty said.
More than 87% of COVID-19 samples in Indiana have been the delta variant so far this month, according to the state health department.
“Unfortunately those who are requiring hospitalization and those who are dying are overwhelmingly the unvaccinated population,” Felty said.
He added as of Wednesday, Hancock Regional Hospital was treating eight COVID-19 patients and that he believed none of them were vaccinated.
Felty and Sharp said while there have been “breakthrough” cases of vaccinated individuals contracting COVID-19, those individuals are experiencing milder illnesses.
“Very, very few of them require hospitalization, and even fewer of those have actually died,” Felty said.
According to the state health department, there have been 3,710 breakthrough COVID-19 cases in Indiana as of last Thursday — 0.126% of fully vaccinated individuals. The state has also recorded 161 breakthrough hospitalizations — 0.005% of fully vaccinated individuals; and 56 breakthrough deaths — 0.002% of fully vaccinated individuals.
“Pulling away from masks and social distancing I’m sure has contributed also,” to the rising trend, Sharp said.
Schools starting back up again are likely having an effect too, he continued.
None of Hancock County’s schools require masks to be worn inside, although some districts have said they recommend them.
“It is recommended by the CDC,” Sharp said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance last week that masks be worn in schools. “I think that, for the kids — their mortality (from COVID-19) is extremely low. The problem is passing that on to us old folks.”
None of Hancock County’s known COVID-19 deaths have been age 19 or younger, while more than 92% were age 60 and older. Statewide, the figures are 0.1% and 91.6%, respectively.
The county’s COVID-19 advisory level from the state health department remained yellow Wednesday, the second least severe. The CDC, however, has assigned the county a “high” level of COVID-19 transmission, which comes with a recommendation that masks be worn indoors in public. Both agencies rely on the number of cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, which, for Hancock County, was more than 140. For the state, that figure meets its “orange” metric, the second most severe. But the state also factors in seven-day positivity rates for all tests, which for Hancock County was 7.12%, keeping it yellow.
Sharp reiterated his encouragement for people to follow CDC recommendations, to wear masks and socially distance when they can, and get vaccinated.
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COVID-19 data as of early Wednesday, Aug. 4
Hancock County
- 287 new tests administered (Feb. 4-Aug. 3)
- 42 new cases (Aug. 3)
- 8.5% seven-day (July 22-28) positivity rate all tests, 8.7% cumulative rate
- 1 new death (Aug. 2)
- 119,967 total tests administered
- 46,879 total individuals tested
- 8,896 total cases
- 13.4% seven-day (July 22-28) positivity rate unique individuals, 19% cumulative rate
- 151 total deaths
- 42,922 fully vaccinated age 12+ (64.5% of that population)
Indiana
- 23,334 new tests administered (April 17, 2020-Aug. 3, 2021), 4,965 new individuals tested
- 1,774 new cases (Aug. 3)
- 8% seven-day (July 22-28) positivity rate all tests, 8.4% cumulative rate
- 14 new deaths (July 17-Aug. 3)
- 11,310,917 total tests administered
- 3,687,062 total individuals tested
- 777,417 total cases
- 15.9% seven-day (July 22-28) positivity rate unique individuals, 21.1% cumulative rate
- 13,610 total deaths
- 429 total probable deaths
- 58.6% ICU beds in use – non-COVID
- 11.2% ICU beds in use – COVID
- 30.2% ICU beds available
- 17.9% ventilators in use – non-COVID
- 3.8% ventilators in use – COVID
- 78.3% ventilators available
- Hospital census: 933 total COVID-19 patients (716 confirmed, 217 under investigation)
- Delta variant: 87.2% of samples this month
- Not variant of concern: 7.3% of samples this month
- Alpha variant: 2.9% of samples this month
- Gamma variant: 2.6% of samples this month
- Beta variant: 0% of samples this month
- Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: 103 total confirmed cases
- 2,963,081 fully vaccinated age 12+ (50.9% of that population)
- 3,710 breakthrough cases (0.126% of fully vaccinated individuals)
- 161 breakthrough hospitalizations (0.005% of fully vaccinated individuals)
- 56 breakthrough deaths (0.002% of fully vaccinated individuals)
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