Health officials in Indiana reported 1,844 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, along with 35 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
The reduced number of new confirmed cases likely stems from testing slowdowns around the Christmas holiday, with just 18,729 new tests performed on 4,792 patients in the state, according to officials.
In all, 493,841 cases of the virus have been reported during the pandemic, along with 7,496 total deaths. An additional 347 fatalities are classified as “probable” COVID-19 fatalities, according to the state.
The statewide positivity rate on COVID-19 tests has continued to decrease in the state, dropping to 11.5% on all tests conducted and to 23.5% on unique individuals tested.
Hospitalizations ticked upward very slightly on Sunday, increasing by three patients to 2,811. Of the state’s ICU beds, 29.9% are currently in use by COVID-19 patients, while 12.8% of the state’s ventilators are in use by COVID patients.
While some areas of the state that were hard-hit by the virus are starting to see improvement in numbers, other counties are seeing upswings in both positivity rates and new cases. In Montgomery County, located in western Indiana, officials are reporting 826 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last week, along with an 18.56% positivity rate.
In Dubois County, located in southern Indiana, 1,396 new cases per 100,000 residents have been reported over the last week, with an 18% positivity rate during that time.
