November 26, 2020

State Health Commissioner Worried About Post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 Case Spike

Article origination IPBS-RJC
Indiana's state health commissioner said she’s very concerned about a spike in COVID-19 cases following Thanksgiving. - Lauren Chapman/IPB News

Indiana's state health commissioner said she’s very concerned about a spike in COVID-19 cases following Thanksgiving.

Lauren Chapman/IPB News

State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said she’s very concerned about a spike in COVID-19 cases following Thanksgiving.

Box said it appears many people are ignoring the advice of public health experts to stay at home this holiday weekend and not gather with people outside their household.

“Our hospitals are being inundated with COVID patients," Box said. "There is still time to make the hard choice today so that you can enjoy many more tomorrows with your loved ones.”

Box said if there is a spike in cases, hospital systems should continue what they’ve been doing for months to meet the surge.

“Have them reach out when they need something – if they need to transfer patients, if they need more ventilators, if they do need more staff, " Box said. "We need to be there to try to help answer the calls.”

READ MORE: Concerns Over Indiana's COVID-19 Response Haven't Changed, Even After 5,000 Deaths

A spike from Thanksgiving would likely show up in the state’s COVID-19 data a couple weeks after the holiday.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Support independent journalism today. You rely on WFYI to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Donate to power our nonprofit reporting today. Give now.

 

Related News

The Checkup: Are my eclipse glasses legit? How do I protect my eyes?
IU Health launches a nutrition hub to serve food insecure Methodist hospital patients
Advocates launch free contraceptive vending machine, hope to expand project statewide