Two more Porter County residents have succumbed to COVID-19, the Porter County Health Department reported after deadline on Thursday.

Both victims were Center Township residents and both resided in long term care facilities (LTCFs). One was in the 70-79 demographic; the other, in the 80-89.

To date, 129 Porter County residents have lost their lives to COVID-19. Deaths by township: in Duneland, 13 Liberty residents; 10 Westchester; and two Jackson. Outside of Duneland: 53 Center residents; 42 Portage; seven Union; one Boone; and one Washington.

Deaths by age group: five in the 40-49; 12 in the 50-59; 17 in the 60-69; 28 in the 70-79; 36 in the 80-89; and 31 in the 90-and-over.

In the 41 days since Oct. 30, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 73 Porter County residents. In the 17 days since Monday, Nov. 23, 42 residents have died.

Also on Thursday, PCHD reported 108 new COVID-19 cases over the previous 24 hours (82 new cases on Wednesday), to bring the total so far to 10,280.

As of Wednesday, PCHD was putting the 0-19 demographic at 1.4K cases; the 20-29 at 1.8K; the 30-39 at 1.6K; the 40-49 at 1.6K; the 50-59 at 1.6K; and the 60-69 at 1.2K.

The other demographic totals as of Thursday: 70-79, 622 cases (618 on Wednesday); 80-89, 337 cases (333); and 90-and-over, 137 (136).

Meanwhile, PCHD reported 40 hospitalizations on Thursday, unchanged from Wednesday.

Prior to Nov. 3, no more than 28 COVID-19 patients had ever been hospitalized at one time: on May 20, nearly seven months ago.

Of Thursday’s 40 hospitalizations, seven were residents of long term care facilities (LTCFs).

Of the new cases reported on Wednesday, three were residents of a long term care facility, to bring the total so far to 491, up from 488 on Wednesday.

Of those 491 LTCF cases, seven were hospitalized on Thursday, unchanged from Wednesday; 347 have recovered, also unchanged from Wednesday; and 76 have died, up from 74 on Wednesday.

As of Thursday there were 68 active COVID-19 cases in Porter County LTCFs, up from 67 on Wednesday.

Over the first six months of the pandemic--from March 17, when PCHD first started tracking COVID-19 numbers, to Oct. 16--a total of 119 cases was reported by LTCFs. In the 55 days since Oct. 16 that number has grown by fully 372 new cases, or 313 percent.

PCHD reported 8,725 recoveries on Thursday, unchanged from Wednesday.

Total active cases in Porter County as of Thursday, after subtracting the 8,725 recoveries and 127 deaths: 1,426, up from 1,320 on Wednesday.

PCHD has introduced other indicators on its COVID-19 dashboard: a seven-day rolling average of new cases per 100,000 residents; a seven-day rolling average of the unique-individual positivity rate; and a seven-day rolling average of the all-test positivity rate.

-- New cases per 100,000 residents as of Thursday: 591 (620 on Wednesday; 520 on Dec. 3).

-- Unique-individual positivity rate as of Dec. 2: 26.1 percent (24.8 percent on Dec. 1; 22.0 percent on Nov. 25).

-- Total-test positivity rate as of Dec. 2: 15.4 percent (14.17 percent on Dec. 1; 12.2 percent on Nov. 25). Note: both positivity rates lag up to eight days due to Indiana State Department of Health reporting methods.

-- Westchester: 1,180 cases (1,167 on Wednesday). Active cases: 147 (134 on Wednesday).

-- Liberty: 595 cases (591). Active cases: 72 (68).

-- Jackson: 211 cases (210). Active cases: 24 (23).

-- Pine: 51 cases (50). Active cases: five (four).

-- Portage: 3,237 cases (3,211 on Wednesday). Active cases: 429 (403 on Wednesday).

-- Center: 2,982 (2,940). Active cases: 445 (405).

-- Washington: 342 cases (340). Active cases: 46 (44).

-- Union: 569 cases (558). Active cases: 91 (80).

-- Boone: 333 cases. Active cases: 59.

-- Pleasant: 170 cases. Active cases: 28.

-- Morgan: 259 cases. Active cases 32.

-- Pleasant: 351 cases. Active cases: 48.