COVID-19 test results and the holidays

COVID-19 test results and the holidays

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Covid-19 hospitalizations and positive cases overall are down.

That's according to state health officials.

However..they warn that we are not out of the woods yet.

News 10's dominic miranda has more information on why an uptick in cases may come after the holiday season passes.

[take pkg incue: around the holidays outcue: back to you duration:1:48] around the holidays..

Contact tracing offices...and testing sites..

Close down for a bit.

Health educator at the vigo county health department roni elder says... this causes a backlog and hundreds of test results to be pending... which adds to the common uptick in positives in weeks after the holidays.

Elder says...this was the case during thanksgiving.

This is why health officials urged that you cut down on travel during the holidays... or if you do... to get tested before you travel....and after you come back home.

Indiana state health commissioner dr. kristina box had a similar message during the weekly covid-19 press conference.

In fact... she says that december has seen lower testing numbers than the state has seen in quite some time.

However... she says despite some testing sites being closed... this does not account for the significant drop in testing.

There are still 280 testing sites across indiana.

She said there was a flurry of activity right before christmas...as health officials recommended....to show their families that they were negative for the virus.

Both elder and dr. box say this is good... however it does put some strain on testing sites and labs causing backlogs.

"with people getting tested for the holidays...that puts a lot of pressure on the testing sites... so just waiting to see how that goes."

"i want to encourage any hoosier who is at risk or may have been exposed to get tested so you can take appropriate actions to protect yourself and those around you knowledge in this situation truly is power.

You can save lives...maybe even your own."

Dr. box says there is a lot of reason to be hopeful in 2021.

She adds more hoosiers being vaccinated each day... but we must remain disciplined and follow all guidelines.

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Guidelines.

Follow all guidelines.

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