ISDH: Indiana approaching 1,800 positive cases; 35 dead
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The Indiana State Department of Health confirmed nearly 1,800 cases of COVID-19.
ISDH said on Monday morning that 1,786 people in Indiana have tested positive. The state says 11,658 people have been tested.
A total of 35 Hoosiers have died.
For Sunday, Marion County had the most new cases in the state with 135.
ISDH has not released numbers regarding the number of Hoosiers who have recovered.
According to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, more than 737,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 35,000 deaths and more than 156,000 recoveries. Click the link for the most recent updates to the numbers.
Gov. Eric Holcomb had a midafternoon news conference, the first virtually since the state’s COVID-19 response began. Here are highlights:
- Indiana health commissioner Dr. Kris Box says the predicted arrival of the surge in cases and deaths varies by model. “We feel like the surge will probably be mid-April to late April, but it could be as late as mid-May, but we don’t know.”
- The Family and Social Services secretary, Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, says planning for the surge includes field hospitals and alternative care sites, which can be set up within 72 hours.
- Box says, “At this point, we have about 40% of our intensive care beds available in the state of Indiana.” She did not immediately know numbers about the availability or use of ventilators, but said not every ICU bed has a ventilator.
- Box says one Marion County group is doing rapid COVID-19 testing, which the state is looking into, but otherwise the state’s turnaround time for testing remains at 24 hours.
- Holcomb says he’s issued executive orders to remove regulatory barriers and change procedures on elective surgery to conserve personal protective equipment, and to allow medical facilities to get added help from students and retired medical professionals.
- As Indiana discussed seeking help from retired medical professionals, 5,300 people expressed a willingness to help, he said.
- Holcomb on Tuesday will issue another executive order for bars and restaurants to remain “to go” only as part of the “stay at home” order.
- Holcomb says local law enforcement has control over monitoring people who may not be following “stay at home” orders.
- The governor will request from President Donald Trump a major disaster declaration for Indiana.
- Box noted Indiana’s COVID-19 cases and deaths are now broken down into age and gender groups in an online presentation.
- Box says medical codes will come soon that will offer COVID-19 recovery information, which the state does not currently have.
- Dr. Christopher Weaver of IU Health says it has set up a process to track ventilators and move them as needed, and repurpose anesthesiology devices for use as ventilators.
- The state health department says Indiana had 1,177 ventilators through March 1.
- The state health department says it has received or ordered 108,112 surgical gowns, 376,260 N95 masks, 297,000 surgical masks, 244,720 face shields, 168,900 gloves, 10,000 goggles and 216 coveralls. In addition, prisoners in the Indiana Department of Correction are supplying 200 gowns, 200 masks and 200 face shields a day.
- An Indiana Correction official says prisons are taking precautions to keep its people safe, but offered no details. The comes after the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on Monday submitted an emergency petition requesting the Indiana Supreme Court take immediate action designed to stem the progression of COVID-19 in the Indiana Department of Correction and Indiana’s county jails. State health officials say they have visited prisons to check on health procedures.
- Holcomb says hotels across Indiana have offered help, including the cooking of food and housing options.
- The governor says Indiana’s not “batting a thousand” on the “stay at home” order, but he believes most people are taking it seriously. He cautioned against being careless. “You may feel like Superman, but I guarantee you’re not.”
On Sunday morning, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams called Indianapolis an emerging hotspot for the virus.
County-by-county numbers, according to ISDH
- Adams – 1
- Allen – 28, including one death
- Bartholomew – 10
- Boone – 20
- Brown – 3
- Carroll – 2
- Clark – 27
- Clay – 1
- Clinton – 1
- Crawford – 1
- Dearborn – 10, including one death
- Decatur – 42
- DeKalb – 1
- Delaware – 15, including one death
- Dubois – 2
- Elkhart – 12
- Fayette – 8, including one death
- Floyd – 20
- Fountain – 1
- Franklin – 28, including four deaths
- Fulton – 1
- Gibson – 4
- Grant – 7
- Greene – 1
- Hamilton – 106
- Hancock – 28, including one death
- Harrison – 15
- Hendricks – 58, including one death
- Henry – 2
- Howard – 14, including one death
- Huntington – 2
- Jackson – 8
- Jasper – 6, including one death
- Jennings – 14
- Johnson – 81, including three deaths
- Knox – 2
- Kosciusko – 4
- LaGrange – 2
- Lake – 97, including one death
- LaPorte – 6
- Lawrence – 9
- Madison – 29, including one death
- Marion – 804, including 12 deaths
- Marshall – 3
- Miami – 3
- Monroe – 26
- Montgomery – 6
- Morgan – 23, including one death
- Newton – 1
- Noble – 2
- Ohio – 1
- Orange – 2
- Owen – 10
- Porter – 15
- Posey – 3
- Putnam – 7, including one death
- Randolph – 1
- Ripley – 25
- Rush – 4
- Scott – 1, including one death
- Shelby – 13
- St. Joseph – 36, including one death
- Starke – 1
- Steuben – 1
- Sullivan – 1
- Switzerland – 3
- Tippecanoe – 14, including one death
- Tipton – 4
- Vanderburgh – 17
- Vermillion – 1
- Vigo – 7, including one death
- Wabash – 1
- Warren – 2
- Warrick – 8
- Washington – 6
- Wayne – 1
- Wells – 1
- White – 2
- Whitley – 1