The Indiana State Health Department reported this morning three new cases of Covid-19 in Washington County.
This brings the total to 9.
Statewide there were 406 new cases since Tuesday, 16 new deaths and 1002 new tests.
Indiana’s new totals are:
- 2565 Cases
- 65 Total Deaths
- 14,375 Tests
It is not known if these people are being cared for in hospitals or confined to in-home isolation.
According to the Wasington County Health Department, no more information would be released locally.
“The case loads are getting ridiculous quickly. We will not be updating cases anymore due to the in-depth investigations that we have to do with every case. No more information will be given out that isn’t already on ISDH website,” the Washington County Health Department recently wrote in an email.
WSLM asked a question about this during Tuesday’s press conference with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s and Indiana State Health Commissioner Kristina Box, MD said she was leaving that up to each health department.
“This is normally handled by local health departments,” Box answered. “I can tell you that counties that have listed every single place in the county because someone with Covid-19 was there. That becomes a list of every business, facility and spot in the county and really doesn’t help anybody moving forward. What we’re trying to do is figure out the length of the time the individual was there and the closeness of contact with specific individuals and to trace it that way.”
There is a growing debate on whether or not the public is served by knowing this information or if it truly is a violation of a Covid-19 patient’s HIPAA privacy.
Some feel the public has a right to know where a patient has been and who that person has been in contact with.
Gov. Holcomb said at this time, each county would handle their own release of information.
In other local counties around Washington, the number of cases and the increase since Tuesday:
- Clark – 38 (an increase of 5 cases)
- Crawford – 3 (no increase)
- Floyd – 21 (no increase)
- Harrison – 15 (no increase)
- Jackson – 10 (an increase of 2 cases)
- Lawrence – 11 (an increase of 2 cases)
- Orange – 3 (no increase)
- Scott – 1 – (no increase)
- Washington – 9 (an increase of 3 cases)
