The number of Hoosiers with active COVID-19 infections appears to be going down. The IU Fairbanks School of Public Health shared the preliminary results of the second phase of its study Wednesday.
“In wave two, we observed fewer active infections and a greater number of people testing positive for antibodies,” principal investigator Dr. Nir Menachemi said during state officials’ COVID-19 briefing Wednesday. “Taken together, this is evidence that the virus has slowed its spread within our state because, as of the first week of June, we had more people previously infected than those that were currently infected at that time.”
Menachemi said 0.6 percent of Hoosiers were estimated to have active COVID-19 infections, down from 1.7 percent in April. But during that same time period, the percentage of people who’d previously had COVID-19 is believed to have gone from 1.1 to 1.5.
“While the reasons for this could vary, a likely reason that the virus has slowed was due to our collective efforts to be safer, engage in social distancing, and reduce transmission by wearing masks and adhering to higher standards around hand and surface hygiene,” Menachemi added. “This was an example of Hoosiers successfully hunkering down during the initial outbreak.”
However, the trend was different in the local area. The Indiana State Department of Health’s District 2, which includes Marshall, Starke, Pulaski, St. Joseph, and Elkhart counties, saw an estimated 1.5-percent increase in its infection rate and no change in the percentage of those with antibodies. A low participation rate in the study also created challenges.
Menachemi said this round of testing shows that an estimated 43 percent of those with COVID-19 have not any symptoms so far. Much of the spread is taking place within households, rather than out in the community, and minority communities continue to be hit harder.
The next phase of the study will take place this fall.
