Indiana’s confirmed, presumed COVID-19 deaths pass 2,000

A member of the Indiana National Guard wearing an American flag balaclava carries a box of food while helping workers in distributing food at Pantry 279 to help those experiencing food insecurity during the COVID-19/Coronavirus stay-at-home order. (P

Another 18 Hoosiers have died from COVID-19, raising Indiana’s confirmed or presumed fatalities from the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus to more than 2,000, state health officials said Tuesday.

The 18 additional confirmed deaths occurred between Friday and Monday, bringing to 1,850 the number of Hoosiers confirmed to have died from COVID-19, the Indiana State Department of Health said.

Another 154 people have died from probable infections of COVID-19, boosting Indiana’s confirmed or presumed deaths to 2,004 since the first one was recorded on March 15, according to data posted on the state agency’s coronavirus dashboard.

Another 373 Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19, raising the state’s total confirmed number of cases to 32,078, the state health department said.

The state’s weekly update of pandemic deaths at the state’s nursing homes, released each Monday, shows that deaths at those homes increased by 144 to 876 in a week. That number now accounts for nearly 44% of Indiana’s toll from both confirmed and presumed COVID-19 deaths.

To date, 230,749 COVID-19 test results have been reported to the state agency, and 13.9% of those tests have come back as positive for the coronavirus.

The tests are available to those with symptoms of the respiratory illness, those in close contact with someone infected and people with high-risk health conditions.

To find testing locations around the state, visit www.coronavirus.in.gov and click on the COVID-19 testing information link.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.