INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Department of Health reported Saturday that 85 more Hoosiers have died with COVID-19 and 7,542 others tested positive for the virus.
The majority of deaths happened in the past two days with 73 occurring Thursday and Friday. Deaths are reported based on when the state receives data and occurred over multiple days.
A total of 3,141 people are in the hospital with COVID-19, an decrease of 63 since Friday.
There have been 419,536 positive cases and 6,458 deaths in Indiana since the pandemic began. An additional 300 probable COVID-19 deaths have also been reported.
Over the previous five days, the state reported 7,360 new cases on Friday, 6,604 on Thursday, 5,835 new cases on Wednesday, 5,457 on Tuesday and 5,700 new cases on Monday.
Marion County continues to lead the state with 57,178 cases and 958 deaths reported. Other counties that have seen the largest number of deaths from COVID-19 include Lake County with 524, Allen County with 387, St. Joseph County with 283, Elkhart County with 275, Hamilton County with 210, Johnson County with 195 and Hendricks County with 181.
There have been more than 4.87 million COVID-19 tests administered to more than 2.4 million individuals with a 17.4% cumulative positivity rate among unique individuals. Indiana's seven-day positivity rate among unique individuals through Dec. 5 is 25.7%. Among all tests, the cumulative positivity rate is 7.8%, while the seven-day positivity rate is 13.3%.
The state health department said 22.3% of ICU beds and 69.2% 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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