Wayne Country Heath Department has announced another Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic this week, this time with 200 shots. The next clinic will be from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 31 at the former Elder-Beerman store, 601 E. Main St., Richmond. This clinic will be open only to those with appointments. Walk-ins will not be accepted. About 640 vaccines were distributed Saturday at the health department’s special event offering the Johnson & Johnson shots.
In a week when Hoosiers are still digging out from a significant winter storm, Governor Holcomb’s news conference brought welcome news regarding Indiana’s COVID-19 positivity rates. The color-coded maps “look the best they have in months” according to Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana’s State Health Commissioner Wednesday, February 17. No counties were at the red level this week, down from 4 last week. Wayne County remains at the yellow level first achieved last week; however, the infection level decreased from 1.5 to level 1. While this is a reason to be optimistic, County residents must continue to be diligent about measures to keep the spread contained until the majority are vaccinated. Other highlights:
Because of the unpredictability of when vaccine shipments will arrive in the state, Indiana will keep the threshold of those eligible at 65 and older. Dr. Lindsay Weaver, Indiana’s Chief Medical Officer suggests that anyone receiving the first vaccine dose should take a picture of their vaccination card to help ensure the second dose is from the same manufacturer. Many organizations are helping with registration, transportation, and other barriers to getting vaccines into the arms of those who are eligible, including Area Agencies on Aging, AARP, library staff across the state and managed care partners. Success stories were shared as these contacts have reached people who said they had not previously planned to get vaccinated. Dr. Box responded to a question about whether individuals who test positive with a variant strain of COVID are notified. She responded that they are as ISDH wants to do additional contact tracing. The other strains have been found to be more contagious than the dominant strain the US has fought since the pandemic first began.
At a time when small towns all over the country find themselves struggling, Cambridge City, Indiana, is bucking that trend. People drive from miles around to visit its antique shops and eat at its many restaurants. There are several new businesses on Main Street, and active construction/renovation projects promise more to come. Gateway Industrial Park has three thriving tenants and the local Chamber of Commerce has more than 50 members, including manufacturers, service providers, retail and more. “We are on a roll,” said Jim King of the Cambridge City Main Street organization.
Wayne County Government Launches Public Awareness Campaign Encouraging Masks and Other Precautions to Stop the Spread of COVID-19
Their mission:
Richmond, IN (December 16, 2020) – As Wayne County’s COVID-19 numbers continue to climb the urgency to wear a mask, social distance, and follow other recommended guidelines from the Wayne County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is critical. Wayne County Government, along with a coalition of many other organizations, including health care, mental health, schools, and businesses, are using Cares Act grant dollars to develop a public awareness campaign. The Share Your Story COVID-19 Wayne County campaign focuses on personal stories of those who have been affected by the virus. Ken Paust, President of the Wayne County Commissioners, says it’s critical we slow the transmission of COVID-19 in Wayne County. “We want everyone to have a safe and happy holiday.
Here are a couple of updates on crashes taking place Tuesday, Dec. 1, from Indiana State Police:
6 p.m. update:
After about six hours, an investigation and subsequent cleanup of a crash on Interstate 70 near the Indiana/Ohio state line has concluded. Both eastbound lanes are now back open. Motorists intending to travel through the area can resume normal travel. The crash took place at the Ohio 6 mile-marker before noon and required all eastbound lanes to be shut down.
James M. Disney, age 74, of Richmond, Indiana, died unexpectedly Friday, November 27, 2020, and went to be with the LORD. Jim was born on October 22, 1946, in Anderson County, Tennessee, to Grace Disney and raised by his mother and stepfather, Bob Clements, and later, Bill Wright. He graduated from Richmond High School in 1966. Jim served seven tours of duty in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He retired at the age of 50 from GTE, where he worked as a telephone installer maintainer.
Wayne County’s Democratic Party chair Beth Harrick shared this statement on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 4, with local media regarding November 2020 Election Day and vote count proceedings. RELATED ARTICLE: WAYNE COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED
“Above the desire to elect any one candidate, the Wayne County Democratic Party is committed to protecting the interests of voters and the integrity of the election process. On October 28th we became aware of a serious discrepancy between the Indiana state statute (IC 3-11-14-30) and how Wayne County Poll Workers were being trained by the Wayne County Clerk’s office. The discrepancy was in regards to documenting the final per-precinct, per-candidate tally of votes at each polling site, prior to the election machinery being removed and taken to the Courthouse for a merged final count.
Wayne County might go another night before election results are made public. Bipartisan teams and the Voters Registration Office staff are painstakingly reviewing the nearly 3,700 mail-in absentee ballots cast in the 2020 election to make sure each one is counted. Wayne County Clerk Debra Berry said the process begins when a voter requests an absentee ballot. The voter is sent an absentee ballot and a secure envelope for its return. The voter marks their ballot and returns that ballot to the Voters Registration Office in the secure envelope.
Fayette County health officials announced Wednesday, Nov. 4, that the county has some of the worst COVID-19 statistics in the country. It ranks in the top 100 worst counties in the United States for cases per hundred thousand on a seven-day rolling average. In addition, Fayette County is Indiana’s only county to remain in the red level, 3, which is the state’s worst, for COVID-19 for the second straight week. On Wednesday, Fayette County’s Health Officer, Dr. Wayne White, recommended that all Fayette County schools curtail all extracurricular activities from Nov.
