The Monroe County Health Department is investigating a spike in COVID-19 cases after 12 new cases were reported in the county on Tuesday, according to a health department press release and data on the Indiana State Health Department website.
There were also five new deaths confirmed Wednesday that occurred between June 3 and June 14. According to Penny Caudill, Monroe County health department administrator, deaths may not be counted in the official ISDH dashboard until days after they occur.
According to the press release, half the new cases were in patients under 50 while the other half were older than 50. All five newly reported deaths were patients over 60 who resided in long-term care facilities.
Tuesday had the highest number of cases reported in Monroe County in a single day since the first case was reported March 21. April 9 had the second-highest number of newly reported cases with 11 confirmed cases. After the Tuesday spike, two new cases were reported Wednesday.
According to Caudill, the ISDH will perform contact tracing to determine whether further action should be taken in the community to prevent the virus from spreading.
“This is a very good reminder that COVID-19 is still with us and we all need to take preventative actions,” Caudill said in the release. “Think of it as practicing the three W’s – Wear a face covering, Wait 6 feet apart and Wash your hands frequently.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of the graph of COVID-19 deaths had inaccurate numbers. IDS regrets this error.
