INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Department of Health reported Thursday that 79 more Hoosiers have died with COVID-19 and 6,458 others tested positive for the virus.
The majority the newly reported deaths happened in the past two days with 56 occurring Tuesday and Wednesday. Deaths are reported based on when the state receives data and occurred over multiple days.
A total of 3,147 people are in the hospital with COVID-19, a decrease of 45 since Wednesday.
There have been 447,190 positive cases and 6,860 deaths in Indiana since the pandemic began. An additional 320 probable COVID-19 deaths have also been reported.
Over the previous five days, the state reported 6,283 new cases on Wednesday, 4,347 on Tuesday, 5,050 on Monday, 6,025 on Sunday and 7,542 on Saturday.
Marion County continues to lead the state with 61,376 cases and 1,018 deaths reported. Other counties that have seen the largest number of deaths from COVID-19 include Lake County with 538, Allen County with 421, St. Joseph County with 297, Elkhart County with 287, Hamilton County with 230, Johnson County with 203 and Hendricks County with 187.
There have been more than 5.1 million COVID-19 tests administered to more than 2.47 million individuals with a 18% cumulative positivity rate among unique individuals. Indiana's seven-day positivity rate among unique individuals through Dec. 10 is 24.5%. Among all tests, the cumulative positivity rate is 7.9%, while the seven-day positivity rate is 12.4%.
The state health department said 20.2% of ICU beds and 69.9% 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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