INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Department of Health announced Sunday that 464 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories.
That brings to 4,411 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total.
A total of 127 Hoosiers have died to date. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days.
To date, 22,652 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 19,800 on Saturday.
Bartholomew County is at 54 positive tests out of 585 total tests administered, the Bartholomew County Health Department reported. There have been 390 negative tests, with 113 tests pending, according to local statistics.
The number of positives of Bartholomew County residents may include testing that was conducted out of county. Conversely, the number of total tests may also include submissions for non-Bartholomew County residents. The positive count listed below is only for Bartholomew County residents.
Surrounding county statistics include:
- Jennings County: 35 positive out of 68 tests, 0 deaths
- Jackson County: 36 positive out of 132 tests, 0 deaths
- Decatur County: 80 positive out of 112 tests, four deaths
Marion County had the most new cases, at 191. Other counties with more than 10 new cases were Hamilton (34), Hendricks (14), Johnson (14), Lake (21), Madison (14) and St. Joseph (13). The complete list of counties with cases is included in the ISDH COVID-19 dashboard at www.coronavirus.in.gov. Cases are listed by county of residence.
The dashboard also has been updated to make corrections based on updated information provided to ISDH.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.
Officials in a Wells County community offered “isolation packets” for elderly residents who fear leaving home during the pandemic and need help. The packets that Ossian officials and police made available contained a colored-coded paper system residents can hang on windows to communicate. Green signals the person is fine, yellow means help is needed for everyday errands like shopping and red means urgent errands like prescription pickup, according to WANE-TV.
“We know a lot of our residents are just worried about leaving their homes at all and so we completely understand that,” said Ossian Sergeant Stephanie Tucker. “The isolation communication packet kind of gives them a way to let the community know or friends and neighbors know that they have a need in their home.”
— The Associated Press contributed to this story.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Where to learn more” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Visit the Community COVID-19 Task Force’s website at covid19communitytaskforce.org for local information.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Where to call” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Local residents with concerns are urged to call the health system’s Triage Resource Call Center, a phone resource line launched by CRH to handle calls from residents with questions and concerns about exposure or symptoms associated with COVID-19, CRH officials said.
The phone resource line can be contacted at 812-379-4449 available seven days a week, and is staffed by registered nurses who will offer screening questions and potentially recommend a course of action for patients.
Visit crh.org/news/2020/03/16/coronavirus-update-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”For more information” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
For more information about COVID-19, including a list of frequently asked questions, visit in.gov/coronavirus.
Visit the Indiana State Department of Health in.gov/isdh/ or follow us on Twitter at @StateHealthIN and on Facebook at facebook.com/StateHealthIN.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Closings, cancellations” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
For a list of closing and cancellations, see Page A3.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About testing” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Federal officials are scrambling to broaden testing for the coronavirus after one of the government’s top health officials called the initial testing effort “a failing” and health care professionals, politicians and patients across the country complained about lack of access to testing, according to The Associated Press.
CRH officials have acknowledged that there is a “shortage of testing supplies” and said relatively healthy people with a low fever and cough and are not that sick would likely be advised to stay at home and not seek medical attention.
However, people with symptoms such as shortness of breath or risk factors such as being older than 60 and/or having a compromised immune system should seek medical care and let their physician decide if a test will help direct their care.
Anyone with concerns are urged to call the health system’s Triage Resource Call Center, a phone resource line launched by CRH last week to handle calls from residents with questions and concerns about exposure or symptoms associated with COVID-19.
The phone line is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is staffed by registered nurses who will offer screening questions and potentially recommend a course of action for patients, said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
The phone resource line can be contacted at 812-379-4449.
Visit crh.org/news/2020/03/16/coronavirus-update-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
