Indiana saw its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic by far on Tuesday, reporting 142 additional deaths within the last 24 hours, along with 5,518 new cases as the state reached another record high number of hospitalizations.
The 142 additional deaths reported Tuesday marked the highest single-day death toll the state has ever seen during the pandemic. The state set a new record for one-day deaths three times in November, eclipsing the previous high each time. The last record was set on Nov. 24, when the state saw 103 deaths.
Tuesday's death toll brought the total number of coronavirus deaths in Indiana to 5,598, according to the latest figures from the Indiana State Department of Health.
The additional 5,518 cases reported Tuesday lifted the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 344,373 since the pandemic began.
A total of 36,239 tests were administered on 13,041 individuals in the last 24 hours, according to ISDH. That figure brought the total number of tests conducted in the state to 4,295,987.
The state’s seven-day positivity rate on all tests conducted increased Tuesday to 11% from 10.8% the day before, ending a recent string of declines. The positivity rate on residents tested also jumped to 21.6% from 21.1% on Monday.
The state’s hospitalization rates also continued to climb on Tuesday, hitting a new record with 3,460 patients currently hospitalized, the highest number since the pandemic began. Of those, 2,897 are confirmed as COVID-19 cases, while another 563 are exhibiting COVID-like symptoms and awaiting test results.
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Currently, 45.7% of the state’s ICU beds are in use by COVID-19 patients, with 24.2% of ICU beds currently available. Just under 14% of ventilators are in use by coronavirus patients, health officials say, with 71% available statewide.
