Indiana Hospitalizations Increase As County Spread Continues

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — All but one of Indiana’s counties are listed in the moderate and highest-risk categories of coronavirus spread as Wednesday's update from state health officials showed a 91 percent increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since the beginning of November.

The Indiana State Department of Health also added 63 more deaths to Indiana’s pandemic toll, making November Indiana’s deadliest COVID-19 month with 1,055 confirmed deaths. The previous monthly high for coronavirus deaths was 1,041 in April, when at most the state’s moving seven-day average was 42 fatalities a day.

The additional deaths raised Indiana's pandemic total to 5,498 COVID-19 fatalities, including confirmed and presumed coronavirus infections, since March.

For the second consecutive week, the state health department listed 91 of the state’s 92 counties in the highest two of its four risk levels in its weekly tracking map update released Wednesday. The agency assigned the most dangerous red rating to 17 counties scattered around the state. Only one county was listed in the less-serious yellow rating, while none received the lowest-level blue rating.

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who was scheduled to take part in a Wednesday afternoon briefing on the state’s coronavirus response, lifted most restrictions on businesses and crowds in late September.

In that time, Indiana’s rates of new COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths began a steep increase. Hospitalizations have jumped 312 percent to a pandemic high of 3,363 patients as of Tuesday, and its seven-day rolling average COVID-19 deaths has jumped from 10 a day to 49.

Holcomb reinstated some coronavirus limits this month.