The Boone County Health Department has been made aware of 14 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases that have been reported in the last 48 hours. To date, Boone County has 298 reported cases and 39 deaths.
Some of these new cases were associated with long-term care facilities, but most were not. This increase may be an indication of increased community spread or it may be an expected indication that more Boone County residents are being tested for COVID-19. In general, we expect to become aware of more cases as testing becomes more widely available. Regardless, with the announcement that Phase 3 of Governor Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana will begin tomorrow instead of Sunday, we want to continue to emphasize the importance of social distancing, wearing masks while out in public, covering coughs and sneezes, and frequent hand washing.
Those who have symptoms of COVID-19 and those who are close contacts of people with COVID-19 (with or without symptoms) are highly encouraged to get tested. People who are 65 years and older, those with underlying health conditions (heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, diabetes, obesity, etc), those who are pregnant, and those belonging to at-risk minority groups (experiencing homelessness, those with disabilities, and racial/ethnic minorities) are highly encouraged to get tested as well, regardless of if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or not.
Free COVID-19 testing is available from 8AM-8PM, Monday-Friday at Lebanon High School. Please call 1(888)634-1116 or visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting to make an appointment. The site will be closed Monday, May 25th in observance of Memorial Day.
Please forward media inquiries to Claire Haughton, Public Information Officer with the Boone County Health Department, at chaughton@co.boone.in.us or (765)482-3942, option 7. Inquiries regarding COVID-19 testing should be forwarded to Mendi Twitty, RN, Public Health Nurse with the Boone County Health Department at (765)482-3942, option 5. The public always welcome to reach out to the Boone County Health Department via phone, email, or the Boone County Health Department Facebook page at facebook.com/boonecoHD.
For further information about COVID-19, please visit the Boone County website at boonecounty.in.gov, the Indiana State Department of Health at in.gov/coronavirus, or the CDC at coronavirus.gov. For more information regarding Governor Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana plan, please visit https://backontrack.in.gov.