Tippecanoe County Health Officer Dr. Jeremy Adler Wednesday said the pace of the county’s re-opening process would depend upon increased COVID-19 testing capability and substantial contact tracing for confirmed novel coronavirus cases.
“One of the things we hope to accomplish in our contact tracing program is if any of those individuals who are in close contact are in quarantine do develop symptoms, we want to have a system in place where they can be tested quickly, so we can find out if they also have COVID-19,” Adler said.
Adler said close to 3,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the county.
“The Indiana State Department of Health will begin collecting data on clinically diagnosed or presumptive positive COVID-19 cases in the near future,” Adler said. “This will help round out our picture on just how much COVID-19 is in our state and in our community, and will be very useful data in terms of our response and planning.”
On Wednesday, Tippecanoe County had 59 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The Indiana State Department of Health reported 12,438 cases statewide, and 661 deaths. Adler said Tippecanoe County’s possible case surge is still projected to hit in early May.
The Tippecanoe County Health Department also expanded its COVID-19 directives for essential businesses Wednesday to include workplaces that do not serve the public directly, with the specific intent of protecting employees.
Adler said all essential businesses must re-align their operations to allow for the six feet of distance, handwashing, and frequent surface cleaning recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- and remote work and meetings should be the norm.
IU Health Arnett Chief Medical Officer Dr. James Bien and Dr. Dan Wickert, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Health Lafayette, said they’re examining how area hospitals could begin offering elective surgeries again. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Monday the state was assessing whether healthcare providers could safely return to scheduling those procedures.
“This is not January,” said Wickert. “And life is different now. All of the elements about -- what happens to a person when they walk through the doors, and all the changes in our processes as they walk in the doors before our procedure, during the procedure, after the procedure. How do we make those changes, and how do we do that carefully and safely to protect patients, and to protect our staff?”
Indiana’s current stay-at-home order is set to expire on May 1.