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Indiana Department of Health announces changes to Covid-19 dashboard

ByLocal Sources Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) announced changes to its COVID-19 data dashboard stating the changes would better reflect the current state of the pandemic and a shift in school reporting requirements.

Effective Wednesday, the unique individual positivity rate and unique individuals tested fields will be removed from the dashboard at www.coronavirus.in.gov. In addition, a new Indiana youth COVID-19 dashboard, reflecting cases, hospitalizations and vaccinations in Hoosiers ages 0 to 19, will be published. This dashboard will replace the current school dashboard effective Monday, Feb. 28.

State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, said the changes reflect the evolution of the pandemic, the availability of home test kits and recent updates to school guidance.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have been committed to providing accurate and timely data to help Hoosiers make the best decisions for themselves and their families,” Box said. “Due to the increased availability and use of home tests that are not reported to the state, the unique individual positivity and unique individuals tested fields no longer provide an accurate reflection of COVID-19 testing in our state.”

Box noted that schools are no longer required to report cases to the state health department, making the current school dashboard obsolete. The new youth dashboard will better reflect the impact of COVID-19 on children up to age 19, she said.

Hoosiers in need of COVID-19 testing can find a site at www.coronavirus.in.gov. Individuals seeking a COVID-19 vaccine can visit www.ourshot.in.gov or call 211 to find a location.

On Wednesday, the health department also recorded 11 new Covid-19 cases in Dubois County.

This brings the total number of cases up to 12,769 since the pandemic began; 157 Dubois County residents’ deaths have been attributed to the disease.

According to the state dashboard, the county has a 15.8 percent positivity rate over the past seven days for unique tests (individuals being tested for the first time). The state reported the seven-day positivity rate among all tests stands at 12.4 percent as of Wednesday.

Covid-19 testing options are available at the following locations.

For Memorial Hospital, symptomatic patients are encouraged to contact their Primary Care Provider or go to Memorial Hospital’s Urgent Care Center, 507 E. 19th Street, Huntingburg. Patients are evaluated by a provider who determines testing and treatment. Memorial Hospital’s Urgent Care Center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Indiana State Department of Health Testing Site is located at 400 Clay Street, in Jasper (The old Ruxer Golf Course). The site has a new phone number, 812-675-5084. The testing clinic is open Tuesday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The site is closed for lunch daily from 1 to 2 p.m. The site is closed on Sunday and Monday.

To register for an appointment to obtain a PCR COVID -19 test please visit https://scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov/. You will have to click “I don’t have an invitation code”.  If you do not have internet, you can call the phone number above, if no one answers please leave a message and they will call you back. Results should be available within 2-3 business days. 

There is a national shortage of rapid tests and the state is restricting them to be used for symptomatic individuals under the age of 18 and over 50. This is to ensure students are able to stay in school and to allow for high-risk individuals to receive monoclonal antibody treatments in a timely manner. More details and eligibility for rapid testing is available here.

CVS (Multiple Locations) and availability varies based on location. Call your local CVS to understand availability. CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment through CVS Hours of operation: May vary by location Note: CVS will test anyone with or without symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea
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