Health Dept confirms 6 more cases of Covid-19; 198 total, 67 recovered
Saturday, the Dubois County Health Department confirmed six more positive cases of Covid-19, bringing the countywide total to 198.
They also reported seven more residents have reported they have recovered bringing the total to 66 of the 198 cases. Three deaths have been reported.
A total of 1,374 Dubois County residents have been tested, as of Saturday.
Almost a month ago, when the number of cases in Dubois County were still in the double digits, my wife predicted that we would see 200 cases by the end of May. I thought she was off her rocker. Now, with 198 cases confirmed so far, it is to her credit that she hasn’t given me a “told you so.” Is she a psychic? No. She is a retired healthcare worker who recognizes the importance of PPE (personal protection equipment) in preventing the spread of illness.
What she has said to me for the past couple of months is that, if people around here don’t get serious about wearing masks, the number of cases in Dubois County will continue to climb. Even though the average person on the street doesn’t have the luxury of owning a fancy N-95 mask like many doctors and nurses have, she says that cloth masks still go a long way in cutting down on the spread when everybody wears one AND when people use common sense about keeping their distance and washing their hands. She explains it like this:
Imagine two friends bump into each other somewhere and start talking with one another. Person 1 has Covid-19 but doesn’t have any symptoms:
Person 1, no mask; Person 2 no mask = High risk of transmission
Person 1 no mask; Person 2 wears a mask = Still a fairly high risk of transmission
Person 1 wears a mask; Person 2 no mask = Less risk of transmission
Person 1 wears a mask; Person 2 wears a mask = Least risk of transmission
It makes good sense even to an old coot like me, and yet there are still people out there not wearing a mask. How come?
Wife has made a prediction for July, too, but I think she’s off her rocker. I’m betting that, between now and then, more people around here will realize that they need to do whatever it takes to help keep each other safe. Then I can say to her, “See? Told you so.”