Indiana COVID-19 Hospitalizations Push To Another New High

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s hospitalizations for COVID-19 patients pushed to yet another new high over the weekend as health care leaders warn about hospitals around the state being overwhelmed by the ongoing surge in severe infections.

The Indiana State Department of Health’s daily update on Monday reported 27 more coronavirus deaths occurring over the past several days. Those raised the state’s seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths to 48 per day, doubling that death rate in a month’s time and putting it ahead of the early pandemic peak of 42 a day in April.

Indiana has now recorded 5,332 coronavirus deaths, including both those with confirmed and presumed infections.

Hospital officials across the state are worried about not having enough health care workers to care for the quickly growing number of severely ill patients. Some hospitals have already started postponing outpatient surgeries and screenings, saying they have no choice but to begin “rationing care.”

Indiana hospitals were treating 3,219 COVID-19 patients as of Sunday — up nearly 50 percent in two weeks and a more than 300 percent increase since late September when Gov. Eric Holcomb lifted nearly all business and crowd size restrictions before reinstating some limits this month.

The state’s intensive care units had 915 coronavirus patients on Sunday, an increase of about two-thirds in the past two weeks.