COVID-19 In Indiana: Cases Begin To Surge To Near Records After Thanksgiving Decline
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After a decline in COVID-19 cases over the long Thanksgiving holiday, the daily numbers of new coronavirus infections are back near record levels in Indiana.
On Friday, the state health department reported 8,003 new cases of COVID-19, the third-highest count ever. The state also reported 84 new deaths. While not a record, that number is more than double the average number of daily deaths for heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of Hoosiers every year. Sixteen counties are in red status, the highest level on the state's metrics chart, which assesses cases per 100,000 residents and test positivity. Of the remaining counties all but one are at the second highest level or orange.
Hospitalizations remain at near-record levels, with nearly 3,300 Hoosiers being treated for COVID. Only 20% of ICU beds are available across the state, and that doesn't account for the fact that there may not be medical staff available to even staff them.
In Northwest Indiana, the trends are similar. The five-county region reported 860 new cases and 14 deaths, and the daily average is again turning upwards after a brief decline over Thanksgiving. Lake County accounted for 494 or those cases and six deaths. The number of people in the hospital has declined slightly from record highs a few days ago, but only 17% of ICU beds remain available--that's fewer than 50 for the five counties.
The age group demographics are also showing that infections are more widespread than during the late summer surge, when cases were centered mostly on those people between the ages of 20-29.
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