ISDH: Nearly 1,000 more positive COVID-19 cases

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Monday morning, the Indiana State Department of Health announced 963 more COVID-19 cases and 31 more deaths related to the virus.

Currently, Indiana stands at 15,961 cases and 844 total related deaths.

The department says 84,476 tests have been administered in the state of Indiana.

• 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 has 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 2,992,000 confirmed cases worldwide, with more than 876,000 recoveries and more than 207,000 deaths.

On Monday, the City of Logansport, implemented a local health emergency declaration. Cass County, on Monday, reported 439 cases of COVID-19, the most in the state.

The declaration, which went into effect at noon at April, 27, says:

• All essential retail establishments must not allow more than 2 people per 1,000 feet of retail space
• Any essential retail establishment bigger than 62,000 square feet will be capped at 125 people at a time.
• Families are limited to 1 person while shopping at essential retail establishments in the City of Logansport

In a Monday press conference held virtually, Gov. Eric Holcomb and other state officials provided updates on the virus. Indiana health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box was not at the press conference on Monday, due to a family emergency not related to COVID-19, Holcomb said.

• On Monday, Indiana reported 963 new cases, the single largest number of positive cases the state has recorded in one day, Dr. Daniel Rusyniak with the Family and Social Services Administration, said. He said the majority of those cases were related to an outbreak of the virus in Cass County at a Tyson meatpacking facility. Rusyniak said the state knows about that outbreak because of the strike teams that go into potential outbreak locations and conduct testing.
• About 44% of ICU beds in Indiana are available, and about 79% of ventilators are available, Rusyniak said. He said those numbers likely reflect both the abilities of our hospitals to make supplies available and a decreased number of critically ill patients with COVID-19.
• The state, in conjunction with IU Fairbanks School of Public Health, has sought to test 5,000 Hoosiers randomly invited to determine the spread of the virus throughout Indiana. So far, 2,850 Hoosiers have registered to participate. The testing began over the weekend and will continue this week, Rusyniak said. He encouraged anyone asked to participate in this or future phases of the study to participate.
• Nearly one-third of Hoosiers who have died from COVID-19 were in long-term care facilities, Rusyniak said.
• As of April 24, 1,467 positive virus cases and 260 virus-related deaths have been reported in a total of 85 Indiana long-term care facilities. ISDH will be adding the aggregate data for long-term care facilities to its website and will be updating the information every Friday, Rusyniak said. The numbers will not include staff, he said, because some staff members work at multiple facilities.
• ISDH will be providing more specific guidance to nursing homes that will require daily communication to residents and their families about the total number of cases and deaths at the facility and ways the facility is working to mitigate the spread of the virus, Rusyniak said.
• Families who feel they are not getting adequate information from their loved one’s facility can reach out to ISDH via email at familyoutreach@isdh.in.gov.
• The Indiana National Guard will be conducting flyovers this week in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis as a way to thank and recognize frontline responders, Adjutant General Bill Lyles said. Lyles said the flights are incorporated in preplanned and scheduled training missions. The A-10 Warthog stationed in Fort Wayne will conduct a flyover of Fort Wayne on Tuesday between 11:10 and 11:15 a.m. and a flyover of Indianapolis on Thursday between 10:45 and 11:05 a.m.
• Since the end of the week of March 15, applications for all FSSA programs are up by 75%, SNAP benefits applications are up by 253%, TANF benefits applications are up by 209%, and health coverage 9% higher, said Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, secretary of the Family and Social Services Administration.
• To help meet the needs of a number of vulnerable populations during the “stay at home” order, the FSSA is opening 12 sites around the state to assist individuals who are recovering from COVIOD-19 and also experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
• “Operation Food” is a food availability map that shows pantry locations across the state. That map can be found here.
• Indiana FSSA along with the Department of Homeland Security applied for a month worth of FEMA shelf-stable meals. This week, Indiana’s 12 charitable food banks, along with Salvation Army of Marion County and a large community kitchen, will begin receiving 125,000 meals.
• In all Indiana Medicaid programs, cost-sharing is suspended, meaning no copay fees must be paid at the doctor and premiums and power accounts payments are waived from March to August.

• The USDA recently granted Indiana to provide additional SNAP-Pandemic benefits throughout the duration of the public health emergency. In addition to those households that already receive SNAP benefits, the SNAP-Pandemic benefits will also go to households where children qualify and would normally receive free or reduced-price lunch at school.
• Another new program, SNAP Delivery, will allow SNAP recipients to get food delivered to their homes. That will begin in mid-May and continue permanently after the end of the public health emergency.
• Sullivan also announced a virtual care network for people with COVID-19 or concerned that they might have the virus to get access to monitoring and help as they recover at home.
• Indiana 211 and FSSA are working together to handle a surge of calls, Sullivan said.
• BeWellIndiana.org is a new FSSA website that went live on Monday and includes mental health resources for Hoosiers. It provides free, expert mental health resources and tips for staying healthy as well as addiction support resources.
• Holcomb showed a video featuring state health officials discussing the health care workers available in the state amid the virus.
• Holcomb said the state would be editing the executive order, including the “hunker down” element, on Friday. Joe Heerens, general counsel for the governor, said the eviction and foreclosure provisions are tied to the renewal date of the declaration of emergency and as of Monday, those provisions run through May 5.
• In response to a question concerning a statement by the mayor of Logansport, who said the Indiana Department of Correction was taking some offenders to the juvenile intake facility in Logansport, Rob Carter with IDOC said about 40 elderly offenders were transported to the juvenile intake facility for their own safety. Carter said there was not a riot at Westville, as had been mentioned in a question, but said there has been some tension at some facilities.
• Rusyniak said the previously reported numbers for cases and deaths of staff at nursing homes are from the facilities and that those previous numbers could include overlap of staff who work at more than one facility and that ISDH is working to come up with a way to more accurately collect that data.
• Holcomb said distance learning was something Indiana was considering even into the next semester. He said more information would be released on Friday on pre-K through 12th grade and higher education more toward the middle of May.
• Holcomb said his stance on releasing offenders has not changed amid the growing cases at facilities. One reason the state is not releasing offenders if that many offenders are part of vulnerable populations and have no place to go, Carter said. “There are challenges to releasing offenders; it’s not as easy as it sounds,” Carter said.
• A reported asked about how people can know tests are legitimate, noting a weekend incident in Terre Haute involving “so-called doctors” charging for quick-results tests that ended up being shut down by the prosecutor’s office. Rusyniak says what’s important is to make sure any medical tests are FDA-approved and that someone knows how to interpret the results.
• “We look at the whole state. We look at it region by region and we let the numbers dictate what move we’ll make next,” Holcomb said in answer to a question about the outbreak in Cass County.
• Rusyniak said the strike team is able to go to outbreak areas, test and identify cases and determine how to isolate them from the workforce and from the larger community. Holcomb said those steps would be part of how the state continues to manage the virus.
• Cris Johnston, director of the Office of Management and Budget, talked about funding the state will receive from the federal government, which should be about $2.4 billion. He said the state was working to determine how to allocate those funds, in consideration of the state’s economy and how long it will be needed.
• Fred Payne with the Department of Workforce Development, said the state’s unemployment trust fund has a little under $650 million. He said the state is not currently worried about being able to make payments and had recently put things in place to ensure the fund would be healthy. He said the state has access to federal funds as needed.
• When asked about what businesses are prioritized and why, Holcomb said, “There are numerous factors or pieces that have to snap together. There’s no one-size-fits-all. But obviously, understanding how this novel coronavirus evolves and changes and mutates, we have to make sure that the one thing we are mindful of is the density of it all. That’s why we haven’t singled out — you mentioned churches — but we haven’t singled out any one type of mass gathering but we’re very aware that that’s where this can spread the fastest.” He discussed businesses that could operate safely from a state perspective: construction, pet grooming and others.
• Holcomb said it’s not about one industry or another. It’s about how those industries conduct business.
• In a discussion about Cass County’s high numbers, Sullivan said the working FSSA is doing is regional to manage surge numbers in all areas. Holcomb said the state wants to ensure testing and tracing programs can forecast and help manage those outbreaks.
• In a question about nursing homes requesting immunity from lawsuits, Rusyniak said the state has put out guidance about general liabilities pertaining to COVID-19. The state is working in partnership to help them with potential outbreaks but has not removed all liability, he said.
• Payne said the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program has received about 65,000 applications since last Friday, some of them duplicates carried over from the other system. Payne said the payments for those applicants should come out sometime in the week of May 8.
• Dr. Kristen Dauss, chief medical officer for the Indiana Department of Correction, said in an ideal world, IDOC would test everyone in their facilities but due to limited resources, IDOC is conducting testing in a targeted manner, in accordance with CDC guidelines, focusing on testing those who have symptoms. She said said 80% of people they have tested have had either no symptoms or mild symptoms, 15% have gone to the hospital, and less than 5% have required ICU care.

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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