INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Department of Health reported Monday that 31 more Hoosiers have died with COVID-19 and 3,978 others tested positive for the virus.
All of the newly reported deaths occurred between Friday-Sunday. Deaths are reported based on when the state receives data and occurred over multiple days.
A total of 2,967 people are in the hospital with COVID-19, an increase of 35 since Sunday.
There have been 468,219 positive cases and 7,101 deaths in Indiana since the pandemic began. An additional 337 probable COVID-19 deaths have also been reported.
Over the previous five days, the state reported 6,558 new cases on Sunday, 4,839 on Saturday, 6,088 on Friday, 6,458 on Thursday and 6,283 on Wednesday.
Marion County continues to lead the state with 64,549 cases and 1,040 deaths reported. Other counties that have seen the largest number of deaths from COVID-19 include Lake County with 556, Allen County with 429, St. Joseph County with 304, Elkhart County with 296, Hamilton County with 235, Johnson County with 208 and Hendricks County with 192.
There have been more than 5.28 million COVID-19 tests administered to more than 2.53 million individuals with an 18.5% cumulative positivity rate among unique individuals. Indiana's seven-day positivity rate among unique individuals through Dec. 14 is 24.3%. Among all tests, the cumulative positivity rate is 8%, while the seven-day positivity rate is 12.2%.
The state health department said 25% of ICU beds and 71.7% of ventilators are available.
→ FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM WRTV
Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through: Respiratory droplets released into the air by coughing and sneezing; close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands; touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands; rarely, fecal contamination.
The best way to protect yourself from any respiratory illness, including the flu, is to: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap & water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact (within six feet) with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
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