Indiana Reports Daily High Of Nearly 3K New COVID-19 Cases

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana reported a new daily high of nearly 3,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday as state health officials added 42 more COVID-19 deaths to the state's pandemic toll.

The 2,880 new infections reported by the Indiana State Department of Health topped the 2,521 new infections the agency reported Saturday that had been Indiana's daily high of newly reported cases.

The department's daily update of its coronavirus dashboard also showed that Indiana's seven-day rolling average for newly confirmed cases rose to 2,019. That is the highest level the state has seen during the pandemic and well over double the seven-day rolling average of 858 newly confirmed cases the agency reported a month ago, on Sept. 22.

Indiana's 42 newly recorded COVID-19 deaths raised the state's pandemic death toll to 4,065, including confirmed and presumed coronavirus infections, according to the health department. Those deaths occurred over several days, but 33 of them occurred Tuesday and Wednesday.

State officials said Wednesday they are expanding efforts to address a “surge” of coronavirus cases in long-term care facilities as Indiana continues to record sharp increases in hospitalizations and new infections.

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb announced during a Wednesday news briefing that Indiana will employ members of Indiana National Guard to help with infection control practices, including improved COVID-19 testing for long-term care facility residents and employees. New rounds of protective gear like masks, gowns and face shields are also being shipped out to the facilities, he said.

More than 55% of Indiana’s recorded COVID-19 deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities and the case counts in such environments continue to rise, Indiana State Health Department Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver said at Wednesday's briefing.