The Indiana State
Department of Health (ISDH) was reporting 17,485 new COVID-19 cases over the
72-period Friday-Sunday, to bring the total so far to 464,354.
ISDH reported 6,088
new cases on Friday (6,458 new cases on Thursday); 4,839 on Saturday; and
6,558 on Sunday.
Deaths
ISDH also reported
224 additional deaths over the same 72-hour period, to bring the total to
date to 7,439.
ISDH reported 85
additional deaths on Friday (79 on Thursday); 73 on Saturday; and 66 on
Sunday.
The seven-day
moving average for per-day COVID-19 deaths on Sunday was 56 (63 on
Saturday). The seven-day moving average of 79 per-day deaths on Monday, Dec.
14, is the highest ever recorded during the pandemic. The highest recorded
during the initial surge was 42 on April 27.
The total COVID-19
death count includes both confirmed and presumptive deaths to date.
Presumptive deaths are those for which x-ray, scans, and clinical symptoms
all point to COVID-19 but for which no positive test is on record. A total
of 334 presumptive deaths was reported on Sunday, up from 320 on Thursday.
Hospitalizations
Meanwhile, ISDH
reported 2,932 hospitalizations on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was the
first day in nearly five weeks that the number of daily hospitalizations
fell below 3,000. The last time was on Nov. 16, when ISDH reported 2,951
hospitalizations.
According to ISDH,
the most hospitalizations on any given day during the initial surge of the
pandemic was 1,799, on April 13.
The number of
per-day hospitalizations statewide has been generally declining since the
record-high of 3,460 reported on Nov. 30, even as the number of per-day
deaths has been generally rising.
ICU Bed
Availability
On Sunday, ISDH
reported a 23.6 percent availability of ICU beds statewide (20.2 percent on
Thursday). COVID bed use on Sunday was 30.6 percent (31.9 percent on
Thursday). Non-COVID bed use on Sunday was 45.8 percent (47.9 percent on
Thursday).
County Numbers
On Sunday, Marion
County reported 63,929 cases and 1,038 deaths (61,376 and 1,018 on
Thursday), the most in the state in both categories. Lake County reported
37,040 cases and 555 deaths (35,970 and 538), the second most in the state
in both categories. LaPorte County reported 6,706 cases and 122 deaths
(6,441 and 118).
Porter County
Status Orange
On Wednesday, Nov.
16, ISDH left Porter County’s COVID-19 color status unchanged at Orange 2.5.
The color status is the average of two metrics: the seven-day rolling
average of new cases per 100,000 residents; and the rolling seven-day
average “All Test” positivity rate.
A per-100,000
average of 200 or more earns a Red score (3). Porter County’s per-100,000
average on Sunday: 566.
An average “All
Test” positivity rate of 10 to 14.9 percent earns an Orange score (2).
Porter County’s “All Test” positivity rate on Dec. 12: 10.6 percent.
ISDH also upgraded
10 counties on Nov. 16 to Orange. Currently, 26 counties of the 92 counties
in Indiana are rated Red, down from 36 last week.
ISDH is next
scheduled to update Porter County’s color code on Wednesday, Dec. 23.
Note: the Porter
County Health Department, using other metrics such as hospitalizations and
deaths, has opted to retain the Code Red status and has issued additional
restrictions accordingly, under the authority granted by Executive Order
20-48.
Indiana School
Cases
As of Monday, Dec.
14, ISDH was reporting 16,383 student cases statewide; 3,404 teacher cases;
and 4,118 staff cases.