(Greencastle, Ind.)  Putnam County officials announced today that there have been confirmed 477 cases of COVID-19 in the county since March.  Putnam County is currently at a 4.45% positivity rate. For a further breakdown of cases please visit  www.coronavirus.in.gov.    The positive case number also may include positive cases at the state correctional facility located in Putnam County. To learn more, visit  https://www.in.gov/idoc/3780.htm.

Last week, together with Governor Holcomb, the State Department of Health unveiled a color-coded system that lets local and school officials easily see the changes in community spread in their area by the number of new cases per 100,000 residents and the percent of positivity. The  color system  will help officials make decisions for the safety of students and residents:

  Blue  = minimal community spread. Encourage continued mask wearing, social distancing, and other precautions.

Yellow  = moderate community spread. Determine if increased precautions and vigilance in distancing, hand hygiene, and masks are needed.

Orange  = moderate to high community spread. Consider hybrid learning and limiting social and large group activities.

Red  = high community spread. Consider hybrid or virtual learning, cancel large group activities, and discourage social events.

Operation food is an organization that is able to help those in need receive nutritional food options.  Operation Food was established in March as a focused program to address food needs across the state during the pandemic.  If you or an individual you know is needing assistance in this area please share the Food Map link with them.  Operation Food maintains a Food Assistance Availability Map with places to source food around the state.   Food Map

Putnam County Hospital continues to offer curbside COVID testing.  To schedule your appointment please go to https://scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov Testing hours are Tuesday-Friday 10:00am-6:00pm and Saturday 9:00am-2:00pm. If you have any further questions please call the COVID hotline at (765) 301-7019.  Putnam County Hospital asks that patients arrive no earlier than five minutes before their scheduled test to help with the flow of traffic.  When a patient arrives they will follow the COVID-19 testing signs.  These signs will direct them to the proper testing area.

As a reminder, Putnam County Hospital will be holding flu shot clinics in the coming weeks.  The flu clinics will be a drive thru flu clinic at Putnam Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, Family Medicine of Cloverdale, and North Putnam Family Healthcare.  The clinics will be held on October 3, October 9 and October 24 for anyone wishing to receive the flu shot.  On September 19, these locations will be offering the high dose flu vaccination for those that are immune compromised and/or senior citizens.  These vaccinations are by appointment only.  To schedule your appointment please call:

Putnam Pediatrics and Internal Medicine

765.301.7400 Family Medicine of Cloverdale 765.795.4242

North Putnam Family Healthcare 765.301.7679

Cloverdale Drugs and Crossroads Care Pharmacies will also be providing flu shots at both locations with no appointment necessary starting mid September.  Please call either location for further details.

For more information on the importance of getting the flu vaccine please visit  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahzJZ0hE2IQ&feature=youtu.be

What else can I do right now?

  Wear a mask.
Use the #MaskUpHoosiers hashtag or icon to let your followers know you mean business about face coverings. There is a whole web  page of resources  to help you. Show how easy it can be—when you wear it the right way—to fight coronavirus with a face mask.

Stay away from crowds.
Social distancing works. For those back in the office, share pictures of how you have configured space to stay six feet apart. Remind people that—as hard as it is—events that limit attendance are designed to keep us all healthy.

If you do get sick, cooperate with contact tracing.
To date, the state has confirmed 3,300 cases through contact tracing.  We encourage community members to answer calls from the contact tracers and respond to their messages.  Answering your phone can help save a life.

Putnam County is providing regular updates on COVID-19 to citizens as part of its effort to complement the daily updates from the Indiana State Dept. of Health. The updates can be accessed via  www.coronavirus.in.gov.

To learn more about Putnam County’s coordinated response to COVID-19, please visit the Putnam County Hospital at  www.pchosp.org/covid-19-updates  or the Putnam County Health Department at  www.putnamhealthindiana.org .