Health officials in Indiana are reporting over 7,000 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday along with 81 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
According to the Indiana State Department of Health, a total of 7,344 new cases have been confirmed by laboratory testing in the last 24 hours. Those new cases bring the state’s total to 546,499 during the pandemic, according to officials.
The additional 81 deaths recorded Thursday brought the state to 8,452 total coronavirus fatalities, with another 371 deaths currently classified as “probable COVID-19” fatalities.
Over the last 24 hours, a total of 56,708 tests have been administered statewide to 16,609 Indiana residents, according to officials.
Over the last seven days, the positivity rate on all tests climbed to 16.4%, while 27.8% of individuals tested in the last week have tested positive. Both rates are inching upward after a decline through most of December, according to the latest ISDH data.
On Thursday, hospitalizations rose to 2,812 patients currently hospitalized because of the virus. According to officials, 27.5% of the state’s ICU beds and 10.9% of ventilators currently in use by COVID-19 patients.
