(CDC/Alissa Eckert, MS)
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Indiana has surpassed 1,800, according to the Indiana State Department of Health Saturday.
According to the state agency, there are 513 new positive cases and 21 new confirmed COVID-19 deaths Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in Indiana to 30,901 and the confirmed death toll to 1,812.
About 75% of the state's deaths are among people age 70 and older. More than half of the state's positive cases are people under the age of 50.
State Health Commissioner Kris Box has for weeks been urging people in high-risk populations – those 65 and older or with underlying health conditions – to get tested for COVID-19.
But Box also says that guidance doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone in those groups.
“If you’ve been able to isolate at home, you don’t have to go out to work, you’re getting your groceries delivered, you don’t have individuals that are out in the public on a regular basis coming to see you or visit you – I don’t know why you would need to come out and do that at this point in time,” Box says.
But Box says high-risk folks who do have to go to work – or live with people who are going into work – should get tested, if possible.
The ISDH is reporting 152 probable deaths, up by two since yesterday, which it classifies as "those for which a physician listed COVID-19 as a contributing cause based on X-rays, scans and other clinical symptoms but for which no positive test is on record."
Monroe County's total case number increased by one to 158. The number of confirmed deaths in the county is 10, the same as reported yesterday. Data provided shows 2,577 Monroe County residents have been tested.
The new OptumServe testing site in Monroe County opened Friday morning to test preregistered patients for COVID-19.
The hours of operation will be Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Fridays 8 p.m. to 4 p.m.
ISDH says it has tested 214,933 people across the state so far. That number includes tests run by the state, the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, and some private laboratories. ISDH says the "number of tests is provisional and reflects only those reported to ISDH. Numbers should not be characterized as a comprehensive total."
Saturday's numbers show that 15.7% of the state's 2,572 existing intensive care unit (ICU) beds are currently being used by patients with COVID-19-related illnesses, while 37.4% are still available.
And as of noon Saturday, 5.6% of the state's 3,108 total ventilators are being used by COVID-19 patients, while 82.1% are still available.
Ethan Burks and Brandon Smith contributed to this story.
For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page here.
