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INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Eric Holcomb and state health leaders will hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic as cases and hospitalizations rise in Indiana.
Holcomb last held a briefing in March, while State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver addressed the pandemic in August.
The news conference will begin at 2:30 p.m. on WRTV and all of our digital platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WRTV.com.
Indiana and the rest of the country are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the delta and omicron variants.
On Tuesday, the Indiana Department of Health reported 170 more COVID-19 deaths and 5,815 new positive cases.
Hospitalizations also rose to the highest mark since Nov. 30 with 3,058 people seeking care. Across the state, only 12.8% of intensive care beds were available.
The state's 7-day positivity rate among all tests rose to 13.8%.
The situation in Indiana's hospitals has reached a crisis point in recent weeks. On Dec. 9, IU Health requested the help of the Indiana National Guard at most of its hospitals.
A 20 person U.S. Navy team is supporting health care workers at IU Health Methodist Hospital after President Joe Biden deployed federal medical personnel to Indiana and five other states on Dec. 21.
Indiana's children's hospitals are also seeing a rise in patients. WRTV's Nikki DeMentri reported Tuesday that Riley Hospital for Children had 29 patients with COVID-19. A week prior, the hospital had 24 coronavirus patients.
For Hoosiers searching for a COVID-19 test, it is a frustrating experience. At-home tests remain difficult to find and people are experiencing hourslong waits at state- and county-run testing sites in Central Indiana.
"It's just concerning that with this new variant if people can't get tested, I'm not sure how we're going to get our arms around this," said Sarah Millspaugh, who tried to get tested at the Marion County Health Department.
