(CDC/Alissa Eckert, MS)
Forty-six more Indiana residents have died from coronavirus illnesses, putting the state’s pandemic death toll from confirmed or presumed cases of COVID-19 above 1,700, health officials said Saturday.
The majority of the newly confirmed COVID-19 deaths occurred Thursday and Friday, according to data collected by the Indiana State Department of Health.
The newly reported numbers show a decrease in Monroe County's positive case numbers from Thursday. Friday, the ISDH dropped the number of cases back to 144 and the county death toll back to nine. The reason for this is, numbers are reported for a patient's county of residence according to Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill. Previously reported cases were moved to other counties based on the patient's residence. No new deaths or positive cases are listed in Monroe County today. The ISDH says 2,074 Monroe County residents have been tested.
The new OptumServe COVID-19 testing site that was scheduled to open in Bloomington last week is being pushed back until late this coming week.
“We did expect it to be up and running by now, however we ran into some challenges,” Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill says.
Caudill says the site ran into some issues that prevented them from having a completely safe and smooth-running operation.
Some businesses in Monroe County started reopening today as the county moved into stage two of Governor Eric Holcomb’s plans for reopening the state’s economy.
Dining and personal services were allowed to reopen today under the local order at 50 percent capacity.
The county plans to remain in phase two until May 31 - a week longer than most of the state.
Meanwhile, there was a line of vehicles as long as 3 miles as people drove up to get boxes of meat, fruit and vegetables at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis today.
“It was worth the wait, honestly. It’s been very helpful for my family,” said Lyneca Sims, 37, who was put out of work when many retailers were required to shut down. “It’s really nice that they’re offering the fresh fruits instead of the canned.”
Statewide, 27,280 people in Indiana have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began. That includes 656 additional people whose testing results were confirmed Friday. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
Health officials said 1,596 Indiana residents were confirmed to have died of COVID-19. An additional 145 deaths are considered to be coronavirus-related by doctors but without confirmation of the illness from test results.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older people and those with existing health conditions, it can cause severe symptoms and lead to death.
Officials say people with symptoms of COVID-19 or who need a test to return to work after being exposed to the virus can be tested at state-run sites. The state also is encouraging those without symptoms but considered high risk because of their age or health conditions to get tested.
For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page here.
Ethan Burks, Bente Bouthier and Sara Wittmeyer contributed to this story.
