INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — New information on coronavirus-related deaths among Indiana nursing home residents collected by state health officials shows 128 more deaths than previously reported by the facilities.
Indianapolis officials announced Thursday that bars and nightclubs in the city will be closed in a reversal they said was prompted by a jump in COVID-19 cases among those younger than 40 years old.
Nursing homes
The nursing home figures released Wednesday increase such COVID-19 deaths to at least 1,390 residents through July 14, making up nearly half of the state’s coronavirus deaths since mid-March.
The state health department on Thursday reported 17 more deaths of people with COVID-19 infections, with most of those happening Tuesday or Wednesday. Those fatalities raised the state’s coronavirus death toll to 2,880.
The new nursing home information breaks down the number of coronavirus infections and deaths at individual facilities after state officials had refused to do so since April despite complaints from relatives of home residents about a lack of communication about outbreaks.
Dr. Dan Rusyniak, chief medical officer for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, said the new report includes reports from 83% of the about 760 long-term care facilities across the state.
“The reason these numbers are different is that facilities have gotten better at reporting,” Rusyniak said. “We’ve gotten better at collecting the data. We’ve also made it easier for facilities by giving them better instructions and more time to go back and identify cases.”
The nursing homes reporting the most COVID-19 resident deaths were Harrison Terrace in Indianapolis (38), Greenwood Meadows in Greenwood (35), Bethany Pointe Health Campus in Anderson (33) and North Woods Village in Kokomo (33). The report lists 447 facilities recording no such deaths and 84 having fewer than five.
Nursing homes across the country have been devastated by COVID-19 deaths as elderly people and those with serious health troubles living in nursing homes are among the most at-risk from severe illness due to the coronavirus.
Indiana nursing homes reported 12 coronavirus-related deaths among staff members. Rusyniak said the state would not identify the facilities where those people worked because of privacy concerns.
Indianapolis restrictions
Indianapolis officials said about 100 new COVID-19 cases were being confirmed each day — a rate that had roughly doubled since the start of July. About 44% of new infections identified since June 22 have been among those ages 20 and 39.
Mayor Joe Hogsett blamed the growing infections on people congregating in locations such as bars and gyms.
A new city order taking effect Friday will keep bars and nightclubs closed until at least Aug. 12. It will also prohibit any schools from resuming in-person classes before Aug. 5, although additional guidance should be released next week.
Dr. Virginia Caine, the Marion County health department director, said the steps were needed to reduce illnesses and deaths.
“There are just too many of us willing to risk the lives of our neighbors for the sake of convenience,” Caine said.
Statewide cases
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday he would impose a statewide face mask mandate starting Monday, citing a a renewed growth in the number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations across Indiana.
The state health department on Thursday announced 954 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, which is the highest number of new cases reported in a single day.
That figure topped a day in April when tests confirmed the illness among hundreds of workers at a Tyson meatpacking plant in Logansport and more half of total tests done were positive for the virus. Of those test results included in Thursday’s report, about 8% were positive for COVID-19.
