Due to the increased demand for COVID-19 testing in Jackson County, the state health department is stepping in to help.
A strike team from the Indiana State Department of Health will assist the Jackson County Health Department in administering free COVID-19 tests beginning today in the former Jackson County Clothing Center at 205-207 N. Pine St. in Seymour.
Parking is available along Pine Street and in the former American Legion Annex parking lot.
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Hours for the clinic are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Saturday.
No appointments are needed, but there may be a wait for those wanting to get tested, said Lin Montgomery, public health coordinator for the county health department.
Testing is available to anyone age 2 and older regardless of symptoms. Children who are under the age of 18 must have parental consent to be tested.
“This clinic partnership is offering yet another location for Jackson County residents to get their COVID test achieved and to assist us and the Indiana State Department of Health the opportunity to better understand how and where the COVID is being spread,” Jackson County Public Health Officer Dr. Christopher Bunce said.
Jackson County is in the highest category — red — for the spread of the virus.
The county health department, in partnership with Schneck Medical Center, also offers free testing by appointment at the former Indiana State Police Post at 721 E. Tipton St. in Seymour and at the former town hall at 200 W. Walnut St. in Brownstown.
“Our two sites are overwhelmed with requests, and it is very important to get asymptomatic folks identified so they stop spreading the virus without even knowing they are infectious,” Montgomery said. “Our community can come together to make this better.”
The state announced Monday that 2,907 Jackson County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March, an increase of 79 from Sunday’s report.
Saturday saw 56 Jackson County residents test positive for COVID-19 and 57 more on Sunday.
The positivity rate for Jackson County now stands at 18.7%, a 1.3% decrease from Sunday’s percentage.
Positivity rate is determined by a seven-day moving average with a six-day lag. It’s calculated by dividing the total number of positive tests by the total number of tests administered. The reason for the lag is to give time to receive comprehensive results.
The current positivity rate for Jackson County would be for Nov. 24 to 30.
No new deaths attributed to COVID-19 were reported in Jackson County on Monday or over the weekend, meaning the death toll remains at 38.
There have been 27,313 tests administered overall in Jackson County since March 18, an increase of 356 from Sunday’s report.
The latest results were as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The ISDH’s coronavirus dashboard is updated at noon daily.
On Monday, 5,700 additional Hoosiers across the state were diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at the ISDH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private laboratories.
Saturday and Sunday saw 14,472 more positive COVID-19 cases across the state.
This brings the total number of Hoosiers known to have had the novel coronavirus to 387,278 following corrections to the previous day’s total.
Indiana’s total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is 5,986 with 42 new deaths being reported Monday.
For the state, a total of 4,614,540 tests have been administered, an increase of 37,535 from Sunday’s reported total.
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What: Indiana State Department of Health/Jackson County Health Department free COVID-19 testing site
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Saturday
Where: Former Jackson County Clothing Center building, 205-207 N. Pine St., Seymour
Appointments are not needed.
Testing is available to anyone age 2 and older regardless of symptoms.
Children under the age of 18 must have parental consent to be tested.
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