Fishers remains in Level 4, or Red, the highest on the COVID transmission rating scale, but the numbers have been headed in the right direction. In her weekly video update, Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz says even though Fishers is still in Red, the city is “so close to orange (the next category down).”
The case incidence rate keeps Fishers in the Red rating, which now stands at 29.38. That is down 7 points from the previous week, but must be under 25 to escape Red.
The percent positivity rate (individuals tested) is at 8.7 percent (orange), down 3 percent compared to last week’s number of 11.2 percent.
Testing availability remains strong in Fishers. You can get an appointment for a test and receive the results in one to two days. The city health department is also doing well in contact tracing.
Since the pandemic began about a year ago, 95 Fishers residents have died of COVID. City staff has conducted 55,000 COVID tests. There have been 9,500 positive tests among the Fishers population, which is roughly 10 percent of the city’s population.
The demand on the health care system remains high, but hospital bed availability in our geographic area is at 40 percent, the highest number in some time.
Heltz
Fishers continues to provide COVID vaccinations at the mass site on 116th Street, just east of Brooks School Road, with an allocation of 1,000 doses per week from the state. “We sure hope that those allocations increase as more vaccine becomes available,” Heltz said.
Most Fishers vaccination appointments are for the second dose. Going into March, the department expects more first-time shots. The Fishers Health Department has provided 4,583 COVID vaccinations through Feb. 16.
Long-term care facilities in Fishers should be getting their second COVID vaccination doses by the end of next week. The department will continue with home bound vaccinations.
The additional strains of COVID are being monitored, with the most concerning being the UK strain. This strain appears to be much more infectious.
“Florida is the place in the country with the highest amount of circulating identified new strain from the UK,” Heltz said. “If you are planning any vacation or trips, please use caution, please continue to use distancing, sanitizing and hand washing. If you haven’t been fully vaccinated, or even if you have, you could still be taking that and spreading it to someone, including your loved ones.”
Heltz cautioned families planning spring break trips to Florida to review plans and be extra cautious.
A total of 15,000 calls have been placed to the Fishers COVID hotline at (317) 595-3211.
Click here to watch the entire video from Monica Heltz.