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Indiana reports a single-day record 143 new COVID-19 deaths

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Posted at 12:02 PM, Dec 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-23 11:59:57-05

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Department of health reported a single-day record 143 new COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday. An additional 3,758 people tested positive for the virus.

The total is one more than the 142 deaths reported on Dec. 1. The majority of newly reported deaths occurred in recent days with 107 people dying between Friday-Monday. Deaths are reported based on when the state receives data and occurred over multiple days.

A total of 3,064 people are in the hospital with COVID-19, an increase of 97 since Monday.

There have been 471,876 positive cases and 7,244 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 3,978 new cases on Monday, 6,558 on Sunday, 4,839 on Saturday, 6,088 on Friday and 6,458 on Thursday.

Marion County continues to lead the state with 65,065 cases and 1,055 deaths reported. Other counties that have seen the largest number of deaths from COVID-19 include Lake County with 562, Allen County with 453, St. Joseph County with 316, Elkhart County with 298, Hamilton County with 246, Johnson County with 214 and Hendricks County with 197.

There have been more than 5.33 million COVID-19 tests administered to more than 2.54 million individuals with an 18.5% cumulative positivity rate among unique individuals. Indiana's seven-day positivity rate among unique individuals through Dec. 15 is 24.2%. Among all tests, the cumulative positivity rate is 8%, while the seven-day positivity rate is 12.2%.

The state health department said 23.1% of ICU beds and 70% 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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