INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s new cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19 have rebounded to levels last seen in May as an especially contagious coronavirus variant continues spreading, state data show.
After falling below 200 in late June, Indiana’s seven-day weekly average of new coronavirus cases reached 708 on Sunday. That’s the highest weekly average since May 20, when Indiana averaged 770 new cases, according to Tuesday’s update to the state’s coronavirus dashboard.
Tests conducted this month on a sample of Indiana’s coronavirus cases show nearly 87% of those were the delta variant, a mutated coronavirus that spreads more easily than other versions, the dashboard shows.
Indiana’s COVID-19 hospitalizations rose Monday to 735, the highest level since 746 people were being treated on May 28. The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked in late November, when more than 3,400 Hoosiers were hospitalized.
As of Tuesday, more than 2.93 million Hoosiers age 12 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s equal to 50.4% of Indiana’s population eligible to receive a vaccine.
But the number of Hoosiers getting vaccinated weekly against COVID-19 has fallen from a peak of about 56,000 per week in early April to just under 6,900 per week as of Tuesday.
The Indiana Department of Health said Tuesday that another 15 Hoosiers had died from COVID-19 over several days. Indiana’s pandemic toll now stands at 13,980 deaths, including confirmed and presumed coronavirus infections.
