Indiana’s COVID-19 recovery remains on track, but that doesn’t mean that Hoosiers should go back to their pre-coronavirus behaviors. That was state officials’ message during Wednesday’s press conference.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said that just because you don’t feel sick doesn’t mean you can’t infect others. “If you choose not to wear a mask when you’re out in public, you are not putting just yourself at risk. You’re putting your friends, your family, your elderly neighbor, and anyone you come in contact with potentially at risk,” Box said. “We have people in this state who unknowingly gave COVID-19 to someone who tragically died from this illness. That’s a heavy burden to carry, and it’s one that I don’t wish on any Hoosier.”
According to the Regenstrief Institute’s analysis of the state’s COVID-19 cases, 25 percent of patients have visited the emergency room, 16 percent were admitted to the hospital, and four were placed in intensive care. Of those who’ve been hospitalized, 73 percent have since been discharged, while 19 percent have died. Regenstrief estimates that 76 percent of Indiana’s COVID-19 patients have recovered. That’s almost 32,000 people.
However, Box noted that a higher percentage of younger people are now testing positive. “I think it’s our younger adults that feel invincible, and so they don’t social distance as well,” she said. “They go to the bars. They go to the clubs together. They may not be wearing their masks, or if they do wear them early in the evening, they come off later in the evening. And it’s not really what’s going to happen to them necessarily. It’s the individuals that they take that infection home to that’s going to be an issue going forward. It may put more people in the hospital with grandma and grandpa or mom or dad or other individuals with co-morbidities.”
Box said the Indiana State Department of Health plans to share more information on the science behind their recommendations.
