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Four additional deaths have been added to Kosciusko County’s COVID-19 count, bringing the county’s toll to 16.
The four deaths occurred within the last month and all were diagnosed with antigen testing, therefore they were not added to the county’s death total until the Indiana State Department of Health made changes earlier this week, according to a briefing Thursday from the Kosciusko County Health Department.
The KCHD also reported it received a total of 16 new molecular and antigen cases between noon Tuesday and noon Thursday.
KCHD additionally noted the increased positivity rate reported on the ISDH website. “This rate is currently not an accurate representation of the positivity rates monitored through the KCHD. We believe the increase could be related to the decreased access to testing for those that are asymptomatic or do not have a known exposure. We also believe it may be due to the inconsistencies required by the ISDH when reporting lab results (molecular vs antigen). The ISDH website county information should be taken with reservation; the statistics do not always render representative rates,” according to the KCHD briefing Thursday.
Of the 1,010 molecular and antigen COVID-19 cases in Kosciusko County, the KCHD is reporting 16 of those are deaths; 155 are total active cases; five are hospitalized active cases; and 834 are recovered.
The KCHD also provided “important updates” from the ISDH and Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you do not have COVID-19 symptoms and have not been in close contact with someone known to have a COVID-19 infection:
• You do not need a test.
A negative test does not mean you will not contract an infection at a later time.
• If you decide to be tested, you should self-isolate at home until your test results are known, and then adhere to your health care provider’s advice. This does not apply to routine screening or surveillance testing at work, school or similar situations.
If a student is tested, they and their household are to be excluded from school until they have a negative result or are positive and start isolation and quarantine.
If a student has COVID-like symptoms, they and their household members are excluded from school - until there is a negative or positive to indicate isolation and quarantine.
If they have a negative test they can now return to school rather than be excluded 10 days.
Wawasee Student Positive
Wawasee Community School Corporation was notified of a COVID-19 positive student at Milford School, according to a news release Thursday from Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington. That student, and two additional students from the same classroom, were sent home from school with symptoms of COVID-19 the day before, Wednesday, Aug. 26. The KCHD advised WCSC to send all students and staff from that classroom home for a quarantining period of 14 days.
WCSC has established protocols of notification regarding a positive test and any corresponding identified close contacts for all school buildings in the school corporation. Edington sent out an email Thursday to staff in all schools at Wawasee, but in the future such correspondence will only go to schools impacted by a particular case, the release states.
Christopher Gerbers, principal of Milford School, sent a letter to all Milford School parents via Parent Square Thursday. Parents who did not receive a Parent Square message from Milford School are asked to go into Skyward and update their contact information or contact the school office directly.
WCSC will continue to work with KCHD to determine what actions and notifications are necessary.
