Updates: ISDH reports 313 more positive COVID-19 cases, 37 more deaths

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Tuesday morning, the Indiana State Department of Health announced 313 more cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Indiana. Additionally, the department announced 37 more people have died as a result of the virus.

Currently, Indiana stands at 8,527 positive cases of COVID-19 with 387 total deaths.

• MORE: Latest coronavirus headlines on WISHTV.com

ISDH has been providing daily updates here.

Officials in Indiana are not yet providing information on recoveries. Dr. Kris Box recently said that information will be available as soon as medical codes are created that will offer COVID-19 recovery information, which the state does not currently have.

According to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 1,935,000 confirmed cases worldwide, with more than 464,000 recoveries and more than 120,000 deaths.

Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box and other state officials were joined on Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Todd Young to provide an update on the virus and answer questions.

• “We are flattening the curve. We are slowing the spread. It’s making a difference. We are looking right at that surge and trying to suppress it and your efforts are paying off,” Holcomb said.
• Dr. Box reported the death of an offender at Westville Correctional Facility, an Indiana Department of Correction medium-security facility with a population of about 3,200, according to online records. Box said ISDH is working with IDOC to provide assistance. Prisons, like long-term care facilities, are facilities with individuals living in congregant settings, and they are always at an increased risk and the state has prioritized those settings, Box said.
• Long-term care facilities continue to be the biggest concern during the pandemic. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Service has made strict dining and visiting guidelines during this time, Box said.
• Box issued an order authorizing that long-term care facilities allow the transfers and relocations of patients in accordance with the plans and guidance of ISDH, within facilities, to different facilities and across city and county lines, so that they can separate patients and also allow facilities with ISDH approval to develop COVID-dedicated units. Box said both transfers and COVID-dedicated units are both scientifically sound and can not only help protect people from getting COVID-19 but also improve quality of life for patients with COVID-19.
• Health care providers can also be protected when patients with the virus are cohorted, Box said. Her order supersedes any local health department order and will continue until the end of the public health emergency.
• Evansville, Gary, Fort Wayne and Sellersburg drive-thru testing: They were able to test 400 people combined at those sites.
• Starting on Wednesday, drive-thru testing from ISDH will expand to include someone with symptoms in the household of a health care worker, essential worker, or first responder. It will also include someone who is higher risk and has symptoms, Box said.
• U.S. Sen. Todd Young said, “Recent weeks have been inspiring to me, as I see the neighborliness of Hoosiers at this difficult time, as they reach out to help each other in times of need.”
• Young discussed the CARES Act and small business loans, as well as addressing the high volume of unemployment filings the state is seeing. The paycheck protection program is up and running and 235,000 loans have been made in Indiana, totaling almost $6 million, Young said. Young said as long as the funds are used to keep workers attached to their businesses and for other similar costs, the loans will be forgivable.
• Young says in Indiana, more than 23,000 companies have been approved for more than $6 billion worth of personal protective equipment, and a large shipment is expected to come in from China very soon.
• Asked how families find out if there’s a case at a facility where they have a loved one, Box said the state gave nursing homes a checklist, and among those things were that they should notify families about cases at a facility when they notify public health officials.
• How flat does the curve have to be to lessen the restrictions? Holcomb said over the next few days, when they are determining what the surge will look like, he encourages people to continue their precautions. “We’re on the road to recovery but we don’t want to pull up too soon,” he said. Holcomb said he believes the next week or so will show what happens next in Indiana.
• Box says the state will have more info later this week on hospital admissions and the number of hospitalized patients.
• Holcomb reiterated that he did not plan to release inmates convicted of minor charges from Indiana prisons.
• Box responded to a question about amping up testing in black communities, saying part of the targeted testing the state is doing right now is to get to those populations, including conducting testing on bus lines and testing essential workers to get to minority populations.
• “Do we get back to a complete normal without a vaccine to protect some of our high-risk individuals without more testing or quicker testing? That’s very difficult. The normal the way we knew it before this all started. But there definitely could be a new norm before that that we just have to be very careful with,” Box said.
• Holcomb says that “new normal” may contemplate taking temperatures in the workplace, different cleanliness standards, wearing masks, and having physical distance, all to ensure employees are going back to a safe work environment. He said it would be an ongoing process.
• “I hope we don’t go back to complete normal. We are learning a number of things over the course this very tragic and challenging period of American history,” Young said, citing different ways to learn, work and play under the restrictions.
• “I think the process of social distancing and sheltering in place has made us recognize how lonely some of our neighbors really feel on a daily basis. We have a loneliness epidemic in this country. We had it before this effort. So that’s been magnified. We’ll need to address it as a country. Our child care system. We at the federal level need to be more attentive to ensuring more people are attracted to taking care of our young people as increasingly we have two parents working outside the home. Perhaps most importantly, I think as a country, we’re recognizing how much we need one another, how much we miss one another, how much we love one another, people unlike us. And we shouldn’t forget that. We should remember that we’re all in this thing together and … we have an opportunity to be a stronger country after this,” Young said.
• Answering a question about whether the governor has the latitude to keep the state under a “stay at home” order when and if President Trump says he wants to reopen the country, Young said, “I think it’s a legal matter. There’s no question the governor has been operating within the law to keep people safe and secure.”
• Young said the state has always had a good relationship with the administration and called May 1 an aspirational goal that President Trump put forward to maintain hope in this time and said that the president has shown he will listen to public health experts and that will inform his policy and response.
• About the paycheck protection program, Young said, “It is operating as expected and increasingly as I hoped.”
• Young said there is agreement that we need to replenish the paycheck protection program. If you have uniform agreement that something needs to be done and if we can do it, we should go ahead and move forward, Young said.
• For the most part, nursing homes are doing a good job of trying to protect their patients, Box said. They care about their patients and workers grieve when they lose someone. The state has helped to try to train health care workers to keep themselves protected as they care for the patients.
• In response to a question about low-income families that are unable to take advantage of free internet offers because of past unpaid bills, leaving kids unable to do e-learning, Holcomb said he needs to hear from those parents directly. He said waiving past due bills on cable or internet hasn’t been requested yet that he was aware of and said he would work with local school districts and the department of education and the state board of education to resolve issues.
• Fred Payne with the Department of Workforce Development said last week they implemented a new system with a third party, to get help with call center and adjudicating claims. They had some problems with call transfers and are looking into that.
• Box says she wants health care providers to test anyone they think has COVID-19 and anyone that is high-risk, as well as people who have chest screenings that are compatible with COVID.
• Should we be preventing private debt collectors and banks from seizing stimulus checks? Young says he learned of this problem on Tuesday. To the extent that the payments are being taken for debt collection instead of helping people get through this time, he wants to work in a legislative way to deal with it.
• Box talked briefly about guidelines for funeral homes, for caregivers, and for people who may come in contact with the deceased who had COVID-19.
• Is a special session needed to cut budget spending or dole out federal funding? Holcomb says not at this time. Most of the funding streams are formulaic. Cris Johnston said Indiana passes a biennial budget, and we’re about halfway through that cycle. The governor can make changes, so no session is needed.
• Young says he thinks there should be a mechanism to replenish that “rainy day fund” but said it’s not developed yet. Department of Treasury is one way to help states, counties and localities to help those places.
• ISDH guidance for nursing homes: Facilities would volunteer and say they want to become a COVID-19 unit. They are looking at facility, community and local hospital in the area of the facility before creating those units, Box said.
• Gary says the city has exhausted all resources in responding to COVID-19. How will the state help? Box said she has been in communication with them and the state is doing testing there.
• Brig. Gen Dale Lyons, adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, discussed how the response for a place like Gary would be managed.

Tuesday updates

• Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance says it will give back more than $8 million in auto insurance premium to our Hoosier clients. The company will provide clients premium refunds of $20 per eligible vehicle insured.
• United Way of Central Indiana says it continues to share the latest volunteer opportunities for those interested in supporting populations most impacted by COVID-19 on its volunteer blog page.
• The Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau asks people not to visit during the state’s stay-at-home order.
• The city government of Anderson says it has canceled its Fourth of July celebrations and the annual Downtown Concert Series.
• Columbus-based Cummins Inc. says it’s partnered with 3M say to build high efficiency particulate filters for 3M’s powered air purifying respirators. The company says the equipment can provide increased levels of respiratory protection, especially for critical health care situations.
• Sigma Chi Fraternity at DePauw University says it’s hosting a virtual fundraiser for COVID-19 relief to replace the organization’s annual Derby Days philanthropy event, which was canceled due to the coronavirus. Led by Philanthropy Director Clayton Troyer, the fraternity encourages participation through purchase of a T-shirt. More than 50% of the purchase price will be donated directly to the IU Health COVID-19 Relief Fund. Shirts may be purchased online.
• Ivy Tech Community College says one of its State Board of Trustees members, Marianne Glick, and her spouse, Mike Woods, committed $500,000 in matching funds for the College’s newly established COVID-19 Relief Fund. This fund will assist students with emergency financial need and provide increased flexibility in meeting unforeseen challenges.
• Tippecanoe County Health Department says it has ordered the postponement or cancellation of any festivals, fairs, carnivals, camps and sporting events through at least June 30, unless Gov. Eric Holcomb cancels the state’s stay-at-home order.

Timeline of coronavirus in Indiana

• March 6: Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) confirms the first case in Indiana. Officials say the Marion County resident had recently traveled to Boston to attend a BioGen conference as a contractor.
• March 8: ISDH confirms a second case. An adult in Hendricks County who had also traveled to the BioGen conference was placed in isolation. Noblesville Schools announces that a parent and that parent’s children will be self-quarantining after attending an out-of-state event where someone else tested positive.
• March 9: ISDH’s total of positive cases rises to 4. Avon Community School Corp. had announced on March 8 that a student tested positive; that case, along with another in Noble County, was confirmed by state health officials at a news conference.
• March 10: ISDH’s total of positive cases rises to 6 as the state launches an online tracker. Purdue and Indiana universities suspend classes for two weeks beyond their spring breaks. Ball State University basketball fans learn the Mid-American Conference tourney will have no fans in the stands. Three businesses operating nursing homes in Indiana announce they will no longer allow visitors.
• March 11: ISDH confirms four more positive cases in Indiana. The University of Indianapolis announces it will extend its ongoing spring break through March 22. The Indianapolis-based NCAA announces the men’s and women’s Final Four basketball tournaments will be conducted with essential staff and limited family attendance. The Big Ten announces all sports events, including the men’s basketball tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, will have no fans starting March 12. Ball State University announces classes are suspended for the rest of the spring semester. NBA suspends all games, including the Indiana Pacers, until further notice. Butler University extends its spring break, after which it will go to virtual classes.
• March 12: ISDH’s total of positive cases rises 12. Taylor University cancels international and domestic spring break trips for students and faculty sponsors. Indianapolis’ annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is canceled. Gov. Eric Holcomb announces new protections that led to extended public school closings and the cancellation of large events across the state. The league including the Indy Fuel hockey team suspends its season. Indy Eleven says it will reschedule four matches, including its April 4 home opener. The NCAA cancels the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The Big Ten suspends all sporting events through the winter and spring seasons.
• March 13: Gov. Holcomb announces additional actions — they included eliminating Medicaid co-pays for COVID-19 testing and lifting regulations limiting the number of work hours per day for drivers of commercial vehicles — to help stop the coronavirus. Wayzata Home Products, a Connersville cabinet maker, shut down and lays off its entire workforce due to market uncertainty associated with the coronavirus. The Indiana High School Athletic Association postpones the boys basketball tournament. Franklin College says it will have no in-person classes March 16 and 17, start online classes March 18 through at least April 5 and empty residence halls of students by 5 p.m. March 15. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis says it will be closed March 14-28. The Indianapolis Public Library joins other libraries across Indiana and says it will close all facilities until further notice beginning at 5 p.m. March 14.
• March 14: ISDH’s total number of positive cases rises to 15. The Indiana Gaming Commission says all licensed gaming and racing operations will close 14 days starting March 16.
• March 15: ISDH’s total number of positive cases rises to 19, with 121 tested. St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis announces all elective, non-urgent surgeries are canceled as of Tuesday.
• March 16: Gov. Eric Holcomb announces the first Hoosier death. ISDH’s total number of positive cases rises to 24. Holcomb closes bars, restaurants and nightlubs to in-person patrons, while carryout and delivery services will still be allowed.
• March 17: ISDH announces the second Hoosier death. Indiana’s Catholic bishops announce the cancellation of Sunday and weekday public masses. Gov. Holcomb activates the National Guard to assist as needed with the virus response. Purdue, Butler and Indiana State universities cancel May commencement ceremonies.
• March 18: ISDH’s total number of positive cases rises to 39. Eli Lilly and Co. says it will use its labs to speed up testing in Indiana for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The 500 Festival announces suspends all planned, in-person events scheduled through May 9. Simon Property Group closes all malls and retail properties until March 29.
• March 19: ISDH’s total number of positive cases rises to 56. Gov. Holcomb extends Indiana’s state of emergency into May. Holcomb says all K-12 public schools will be closed until May 1 and nonpublic schools also are to close. Standardized testing was canceled. The state’s income-tax and corporate-tax payment deadline was extended to July 15. Holcomb says the state will waive job search requirements for people applying for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. The IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament was canceled. The Marion County Emergency Operations Center upgrades to Level 1 status.
• March 20: ISDH reports the third Hoosier death and 23 new cases for a total of 79. Gov. Holcomb moves the state’s primary election to June 2. Indiana University says it is postponing May commencement ceremonies on all campuses. Indiana University Health says it can do limited virus testing.
• March 21: ISDH reports the fourth Hoosier death, and 47 new cases positive for a total of 126. A total of 833 people have been tested for the virus. Indiana National Guard details how it’s working with the Department of Transportation on distribution of medical supplies to hospitals.
• March 22: Indiana’s death toll rises to 7. ISDH reports 75 more positive cases.
• March 23: ISDH reports 259 cases of COVID-19, up from 201 a day earlier. Gov. Holcomb orders Hoosiers deemed nonessential to “stay at home” from March 24-April 7. Eli Lilly & Co. begins drive-thru testing for the coronavirus for health care workers with a doctor’s order. Ball State University cancels the May commencement.
• March 24: Indiana’s death toll rises to 13. Fred Payne of Indiana Workforce Development says any Hoosiers out of work, including temporary layoffs, are eligible to apply for unemployment benefits.
• March 25: Indiana’s death toll rises 17. Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces the Indianapolis 500 is moved to Aug. 23. IndyGo suspends fares and changes its ride schedules.
• March 27: Indiana’s death toll rises to 25. Marion County adds 192 new positive COVID-19 cases, the most of any county in the state for the day, for a total of 484. Indiana has 981 confirmed cases.
• March 28: Indiana’s death toll rises to 31. Marion County adds 100 new cases, the most of any county in the state, for a total of 584. Indiana has 1,232 confirmed cases.
• March 29: Indiana’s death toll rises to 32. Marion County adds 92 new positive cases, the most of any county in the state, for a total 676. Indiana has 1,514 confirmed cases. President Donald Trump announces in a press conference that the national social distancing recommendation will be extended by 30 days, to end April 30.
• March 30: Indiana’s death toll rises to 35. Marion County had the most new cases in the state with 135, for a total of 804. Indiana health commissioner Dr. Kris Box predicted the arrival of the surge in cases and deaths could come in mid-April to late April, but could be as late as mid-May, “but we don’t know.”
• March 31: Indiana’s death toll rises to 49. Gov. Holcomb extends the limits of bars and restaurants to offer only “to go” and “carry out” through April 6. Health commissioner Box, asked about when Indiana will be in a surge of COVID-19 cases, says she thinks the surge is starting.
• April 1: Indiana’s death toll rises to 65. Officials extend Marion County’s “stay at home” order through May 1. Marion County health officials say they will start COVID-19 testing services for frontline employees.The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis says it will remain closed until further notice. Gov. Holcomb announces the #InThisTogether campaign.
• April 2: Indiana’s death toll rises to 78. The state announces K-12 schools will be closed for the rest of the school year. The Indiana High School Athletic Association cancels spring sports seasons.
• April 3: Indiana’s death toll rises to 102. Gov. Holcomb extends the “stay at home” order through April 20. Indiana officials say the state has received a federal Major Disaster Declaration for all 92 counties. The Indiana National Guard says it, the Army Corps of Engineers and state health officials will begin on Saturday to assess sites for alternate health care facilities.
• April 4: ISDH reports 14 more deaths, bringing the state’s total to 116. 3,953 Hoosiers have tested positive, with 116 deaths and 19,800 total tests conducted. 
• April 5: ISDH reports 11 more deaths in Indiana.
• April 6: Indiana’s death toll rises to 139. The state reports one Madison County nursing home has had 11 deaths. Gov. extends the “stay at home” order through April 20. He also limits additional businesses to carry-out only.
• April 7: Indiana’s death toll rises to 173. A total of 5,507 Hoosiers have tested positive. Indiana health commissioner Box notes four long-term care facilities have 22 deaths that appear to be related to COVID-19.
• April 8: Indiana surpasses 200 deaths. Indiana now has 203 deaths and 5,943 confirmed cases. A total of 30,869 Hoosiers have been tested.
• April 9: ISDH says 6,351 Hoosiers have been tested positive, resulting in 245 deaths. A total of 32,133 Hoosiers have been tested.
• April 10: ISDH says 6,907 Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in 300 deaths. A total of 35,040 Hoosiers have been tested. ISDH said 24 residents of a long-term care facility in Madison County have died from COVID-related illness.
• April 11: 30 more deaths are announced, bringing Indiana’s total to 330.
• April 12: A total of 343 Hoosiers have now died due to COVID-19, according to ISDH. Just under 8,000 cases have been confirmed in Indiana.
• April 13: Indiana stands at 350 deaths and 8,236 positive coronavirus cases, according to ISDH.
• April 14: ISDH announces 313 more cases and 37 more deaths, bringing the totals to 8,527 positive cases and 387 deaths.
• April 15: ISDH announces 49 more deaths for a total of 463. The total of positive cases grows to 8,955.
• April 16: Indiana reports 477 deaths and 9,542 positive cases. The governor says he expects Indiana to experience a reopening in early May.
• April 17: ISDH reports 519 deaths and 10,154 positive cases. The governor says that he will be extending the stay-at-home order through May 1, although some restrictions may be lifted in the new order.
• April 18: ISDH reports 26 more deaths. ISDH says there are now 10,641 positive cases and 545 Hoosiers have died as a result of the virus.
• April 19: 17 more Hoosiers have died according to ISDH, bringing Indiana’s total to 562.
• April 20: ISDH reports seven new deaths. ISDH says there are now 11,686 positive cases and 569 deaths related to the virus. Holcomb extended the “stay at home” order to May 1. The governor also said, if the medical supply chain is in good shape, other elective medical procedures can resume April 27.
• April 21: Indiana reports more than 12,000 positive cases and more than 600 deaths.
• April 22: Indiana reports 12,438 COVID-19 cases and 661 deaths. The Tyson facility in Logansport voluntarily closes so 2,200 employees can be tested for COVID-19.
• April 23: Indiana reports 13,039 COVID-19 cases and 709 deaths.
• April 24: Indiana reports 13,680 COVID-19 cases and 741 deaths. The Indianapolis City-County Council unanimously approved $25 million in an emergency meeting to help small businesses. Fishers City Council creates a city health department with a plan to test every resident.
• April 25: Indiana reports 14,395 COVID-19 cases and 785 deaths. ISDH launched an antibody testing study for Hoosiers on Saturday. Thousands of residents were randomly selected to participate in the study.
• April 26: Indiana reports 15,012 positive COVID-19 cases and 813 total deaths.
• April 27: Indiana reports 15,961 positive COVID-19 cases and 844 total deaths.
• April 28: Indiana reports 16,588 positive COVID-19 cases and 901 total deaths. Indiana officials say they are opening up COVID-19 testing to more Hoosiers, with expanded criteria and new testing services at 20 sites around the state.
• April 29: Indiana reports 17,182 positive COVID-19 cases and 964 total deaths. The state said it will spent $43 million on contact tracing.
• April 30: Indiana reports 17,835 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,007 total deaths. Indianapolis extends its stay-at-home order through May 15.
• May 1: Indiana reports 18,630 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,062 deaths. Gov. Eric Holcomb announces a phased reopening plan for the state of Indiana. He also extends the stay-at-home order to May 4.
• May 2: Indiana reports 19,295 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,115 deaths.
• May 3: Indiana reports 19,993 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,132 deaths.
• May 4: Indiana reports 583 more COVID-19 cases and 19 additional deaths. The stay-at-home order ends for most of Indiana. That order will end May 11 in Lake and Marion counties, and May 18 in Cass County.
• May 5: Indiana reports 21,033 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,213 deaths.
• May 6: Indiana reports 21,870 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,264 deaths. Ivy Tech Community College says it will continue virtual classes when summer courses begin in June.
• May 7: Indiana reports 22,503 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,295 deaths.
• May 8: Indiana reports 23,146 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,328 deaths. Cris Johnston, director of the Office of Budget and Management, said the state missed out on nearly $1 billion in anticipated April revenues. All state agencies will be given budget-cutting goals.
• May 9: Indiana reports 23,732 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,362 deaths.
• May 10: Indiana reports 24,126 COVID-19 cases in Indiana and 1,379 deaths.
• May 11: Indiana reports 24,627 COVID-19 cases in Indiana and 1,411 deaths.
• May 12: Indiana reports 25,127 COVID-19 cases in Indiana and 1,444 deaths.
• May 13: Indiana reports 25,473 COVID-19 cases in Indiana and 1,482 deaths. The first phase of a state-sponsored study of the coronavirus estimated about 186,000 Hoosiers had COVID-19 or the antibodies for the novel virus by May 1. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced plans for limited reopenings of worship services, retail establishments, the libraries and restaurants.

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