INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -
Four more people in Indiana have been sickened by the coronavirus, boosting
the state’s tally to 10 cases, with three of the new cases in the same
suburban Indianapolis county, health officials said Wednesday.
Johnson County,
just south of Indianapolis, has three presumptive positive cases of COVID-19
- the disease caused by the virus - and north-central Indiana’s Howard
County has one, the state Department of Health said.
Wednesday’s update
by the state agency shows that seven Indiana counties now have patients with
COVID-19, with Adams, Boone, Hendricks, Marion and Noble counties the other
counties reporting cases.
With the exception
of Hendricks County, which has two cases, and Johnson County’s three cases,
the other counties had one case each. The state Department of Health said 43
people in Indiana have been tested for the virus, either by that agency or
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Indiana’s growing
number of cases since the first one was reported last Friday in Marion
County prompted Indiana and Purdue universities to announce Tuesday the
suspension of classroom teaching on all campuses following spring break.
Although the campuses will be open following the break, students have the
option to return to campus or not.
And health
officials in Marion County, home of Indianapolis, on Wednesday urged seniors
with chronic medical ailments such as heart disease, diabetes and lung
disease to reconsider before attending any large public gatherings,
including sporting events and festivals.
For most, the virus
causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and a cough. For some,
especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can
cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people
recover.
According to the
World Health Organization, people with mild illness get better in about two
weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to
recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000
people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have recovered.
The Marion County
Public Health Department also advised seniors to try to put at least six
feet of distance between themselves and other people to further reduce their
risk of being exposed to the virus.
Indiana’s
presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 include an elementary school student
in the Hendricks County community of Avon, just west of Indianapolis. That
sickened Avon student - the state’s only case not in an adult - led the
local school district to cancel classes and all school-related activities
until April 6.