County adds 30 more virus cases, three more deaths

Staff Reports

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 541 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 21,033 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total.

Bartholomew County is listed among counties with the highest number of new positive cases, reporting 30 new cases from Monday to Tuesday. The county also reported 297 total positive tests and 17 deaths, up three from Monday.

The Bartholomew County Health Department is reporting there have been 2,401 tests administered in the county with the 297 positive results and 1,760 negative results. The health department said 339 tests are pending.

Dr. Brian Niedbalski, the county health officer, said the large number of new positive cases is likely due to the increased testing being done at Columbus Regional Hospital.

“There are no hotspots (for the virus) I am aware of at this time,” he said. “Cases will also be going up due to the local state testing site. We can’t focus solely on positive cases going forward. The measuring stick will be the number of hospitalized patients as well as deaths due to COVID-19.”

Columbus Regional Hospital reported they were treating 14 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday. Two of the patients are in the intensive care unit while the remainder are listed in stable condition.

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 counts listed for positives and deaths is only for Bartholomew County residents.

The state is opening a new testing initiative today, including a site in Columbus, to test community residents who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or those who have been exposed. That includes individuals who live with an individual who has tested positive.

Those who wish to be tested must register in advance online or by calling a hotline. To register, visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting or call (888) 634-1123. Those who apply will be screened before being assigned a time and location for testing.

While the number of cases has increased statewide, intensive care unit and ventilator capacities remain steady. As of Tuesday, about 44 percent of ICU beds and 80 percent of ventilators were available at hospitals throughout the state.

A total of 1,213 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 62 over the previous day. Another 113 probable deaths have been reported. Probable deaths are 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. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days.

To date, 115,834 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 113,297 on Monday.

Marion County had the most new cases, at 97. Other counties with more than 10 new cases were Allen (32), Bartholomew (30), Cass (36), Delaware (11), Elkhart (22), Hamilton (15), Jackson (16), Johnson (15), Lake (64), LaPorte (12), Noble (37), St. Joseph (19) and Steuben (10). The Lake County totals include results from East Chicago and Gary, which have their own health departments.

Other surrounding counties and their case totals are:

Decatur County: 205 positive cases 28 deaths.

Jackson County: 183 positive cases, one death.

Shelby County: 229 positive cases, 14 deaths.

Brown County: 18 positive cases, one death.

Johnson County: 730 positive cases, 75 deaths.

Jennings County: 86 positive cases, three deaths.

Visit the ISDH COVID-19 dashboard at coronavirus.in.gov for additional information.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”New testing program” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

The state is opening a new testing initiative today at 20 sites around Indiana, including a site in Columbus, to test community residents who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or those who have been exposed. That includes individuals who live with an individual who has tested positive.

Those who wish to be tested must register in advance online or by calling a hotline. To register, visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting or call (888) 634-1123. Those who apply will be screened before being assigned a time and location for testing.

[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About testing” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Because of limited supplies of testing materials, Columbus Regional Hospital officials have said relatively healthy people with a low fever and cough and are not that sick will 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 COVID-19 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 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.

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][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=”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=”Closings, cancellations” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

For closings and cancellations, visit therepublic.com or The Republic’s Facebook page.

[sc:pullout-text-end]