Indiana National Guard soldiers and airmen will continue their mission assisting long-term care facilities across Indiana in their battle against COVID-19.

Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb called upon Hoosier Guardsmen to help at the facilities in October with the first wave of troops arriving in November. He has now extended their mission until Feb. 28.

The National Guard will continue supporting the vast majority of long-term care facilities with more than 1,000 Guardsmen. Their work includes assisting with testing, reporting test results, screening employees, and ensuring infection control practices are in place.

Protecting residents of long-term care facilities have been a priority for the state since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents of these facilities have been significantly impacted by the pandemic because they are medically fragile and at higher risk for severe complications. Approximately 58 percent of the COVID-19 deaths reported in the state have occurred among residents of these facilities.

“We live here, we work here and we serve here,” said Brig. Gen. Dale Lyles, adjutant general, and leader of the Indiana National Guard. “We are vital to the preservation of life, safety, and the welfare of the residents of long-term care facilities, and they need us to remain and continue our work. We do not want to give up the gains we’ve made prior to the vaccine taking effect.”

State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, said the Guard’s support has brought critical relief to long-term care facilities, whose residents and staff have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Caring for our vulnerable Hoosiers isn’t just a job. It’s a calling,” Box said. “The staff in these facilities have worked tirelessly to protect these Hoosiers in an unprecedented time. The Guard’s support has helped ease their workload so that staff can keep their focus on where it most needs to be, which is the residents.”

According to the Indiana State Department of Health, there were 202 people tested for Covid-19 at the Washington County Fairgrounds site from Dec. 22-26.

Washington County is currently designated as a “Red” county with the highest rate of spread of the coronavirus. 

The site was closed Friday for the Christmas holiday. 

This was the only free testing site held in Washington County since the pandemic began earlier this year. 

The ISDH said it didn’t know if future testing clinics would be held. 

ISDH statistics show there have been 7,249 people tested in Washington County since March. 

Of that total, 1,375 have been tested so far in December. 

As of Saturday, there have been 1372 Cases and 15 deaths since March. 

There are two medical facilities with testing capabilities in Washington County, along with the local hospital. Two pharmacies have been testing for Covid as well – all for a fee. 

However, the only free sites for Covid testing are in Lawrence, Scott, Harrison, Jennings, Clark, Floyd, and Jackson Counties.

Residents in Washington County and Orange County have had to go outside the county to get tested for free. 

City of Salem Mayor, Justin Green, recently announced
the 2020 Mayor’s Christmas Card Contest winner, Kinsley Hollowell, Age 10.

Hollowell, of Salem, received a $50 Walmart gift card and a voucher for a free pizza from B&B Family Pizzaria.

Pictured is the winning artwork which will be on display at City Hall.

Indiana health officials have erred in reporting the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate since the beginning of the pandemic due to a problem with the way it was computed, resulting in a lower rate than would be accurate.

Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana health commissioner, said Tuesday that she believed that the reported 7-day positivity rate for the state has consistently been two to three percentage points lower than it should have been.

On Tuesday, state health officials reported that the state’s 7-day positivity rate was 12.2% for all tests and 24.2% for unique individuals.

“The error we discovered is in the software logic coding used to calculate our positivity rate. The error has existed since we began reporting the data,” Box said during Gov. Eric Holcomb’s weekly press conference on the pandemic. “We’ve been working with outside data scientists to identify the issue and to develop a fix.”

Next week, the state plans to correct the state’s 7-day and all-time positivity rate, as well as the methodology for calculating the 7-day positivity rate for counties.

However, other statistics related to the pandemic reported by the state — including the number of cases per 100,000 individuals, the number of deaths, and the overall test counts — have not been affected, Box said.

Holcomb emphasized that the movement trends in the positivity rate throughout the pandemic closely mirrored the accurate numbers, and thus officials wouldn’t have made any different decisions.

The City of Salem would like to remind residents not to flush masks, paper towels, disinfecting or flushable wipes of any type down the toilet. 

Flushing these items causes stress on the wastewater treatment facility.

“We want to keep our City safe and healthy, and one way we can ensure this happens is by keeping our wastewater plant running efficiently by remembering to only flush toilet paper,” said Mayor Justin Green. 

Due to a continued increase in the volume of harmful items that can cause issues with the city’s wastewater treatment operations, Green recently made the following notice available from Wastewater Superintendent, Troy Watts:

“We are seeing an uptick of problems at the wastewater treatment plant due to discarded masks and wipes being flushed. Please remember sewer systems can get clogged when improper items are put down the drain or flushed. This can cause backups and overflow at our treatment facilities, which can create additional public health concerns. It is also advisable to refrain from flushing paper towels or wipes labeled as “flushable” or “septic-safe” as some wipes with this label can still cause issues with wastewater systems,” said Superintendent Watts.

Mayor Green and Watts remind residents never to flush masks, even those made of paper, and that flushable wipes must have 3 main qualities:

1. They must break down quickly into small pieces,
   2. They should not be buoyant or float,
   3. They should only be made of ingredients that will easily and naturally degrade.

Green and Watts ask for your help in keeping the system operating and functioning well, particularly during this time. 

“Please be mindful that used masks, disinfecting, and other wipes, including paper towels and baby wipes, should only be placed in the trash,” said Green. 

For updates and information from the City of Salem, please visit the website at www.cityofsalem.in.com or follow the City and the Mayor on Facebook.