Marshall County is back in the orange on the state’s COVID-19 map, while Starke and Pulaski counties moved to yellow. All three counties still have to follow orange-level restrictions, though. That means events and gatherings are limited to 25 percent of a facility’s capacity. Gatherings of more than 50 people are supposed to have a safety plan submitted ahead of time to the local health department.
Marshall County actually has a slightly lower seven-day positivity rate than Starke or Pulaski, but the number of weekly cases per capita pushed the county back into orange territory this week. Marshall County had another 16 cases in Wednesday’s report from the Indiana Department of Health. Pulaski County had two new cases, and Starke County had one.
The state as a whole reported another 36 deaths, bringing the total to 9,713 or 10,091 if probable deaths are included.
No new resident cases or deaths were reported in Marshall, Starke, and Pulaski counties’ long-term care facilities. That’s according to Wednesday’s long-term care update, which covers cases up until January 27. But Miller’s Merry Manor in Walkerton continued to deal with the coronavirus. Another 11 residents tested positive, including eight on January 21 alone. At least one more resident death was reported there, bringing the facility’s total to eight.
More than 4,900 long-term care residents have died in Indiana since the pandemic began, accounting for more than half of the state’s confirmed COVID-19 deaths.
