Indiana COVID-19 hospitalizations drop to lowest in 2 years

Steven Senne/AP

FILE - A nurse suits up with protective gear before entering a patient's room at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, in Lebanon, N.H., Jan. 3, 2022. The omicron variant has caused a surge of new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and many hospitals are not only swamped with cases but severely shorthanded because of so many employees out with COVID-19. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

By: Associated Press , WRTV Staff

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s steep decline in serious COVID-19 illnesses over the past two months has pushed hospitalizations for the illness to the lowest level in the state since the first weeks of the pandemic.

The Indiana Department of Health reported there were 354 people hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide as of Wednesday. That's down 90% from mid-January's peak of about 3,500.

Indiana is now averaging about 10 COVID-19 deaths a day after the state a death rate topping 70 a day for much of January. The state health department has recorded more than 23,000 COVID-19 deaths over the past two years.

The state reported about 238 new cases and six new deaths on Thursday.