INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Department of Health reported Wednesday that 125 more Hoosiers have died with COVID-19 and 6,283 others tested positive for the virus.
Nearly half of the newly reported deaths happened in the past two days with 63 occurring Monday and Tuesday. Deaths are reported based on when the state receives data and occurred over multiple days.
A total of 3,192 people are in the hospital with COVID-19, an decrease of 37 since Tuesday.
There have been 440,850 positive cases and 6,781 deaths in Indiana since the pandemic began. An additional 320 probable COVID-19 deaths have also been reported.
Over the previous five days, the state reported 4,347 new cases on Tuesday, 5,050 on Monday, 6,025 on Sunday, 7,542 on Saturday and 7,360 on Friday.
The percentage of available ICU beds dropped from 23.9% in Tuesday's update to 11.2%. According to ISDH, 69.8% of ventilators are available.
Marion County continues to lead the state with 60,483 cases and 1,006 deaths reported. Other counties that have seen the largest number of deaths from COVID-19 include Lake County with 537, Allen County with 413, St. Joseph County with 290, Elkhart County with 282, Hamilton County with 227, Johnson County with 201 and Hendricks County with 187.
There have been more than 5.05 million COVID-19 tests administered to more than 2.46 million individuals with a 17.9% cumulative positivity rate among unique individuals. Indiana's seven-day positivity rate among unique individuals through Dec. 9 is 24.5%. Among all tests, the cumulative positivity rate is 7.9%, while the seven-day positivity rate is 12.5%.
→ FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM WRTV
Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through: Respiratory droplets released into the air by coughing and sneezing; close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands; touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands; rarely, fecal contamination.
The best way to protect yourself from any respiratory illness, including the flu, is to: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap & water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact (within six feet) with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
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