Indiana’s number of coronavirus-related deaths in one month has tripled the state’s typical level of flu deaths over a seven-month period.
The Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 41 additional COVID-19 deaths, raising the state’s death toll to at least 477 people. The newly recorded deaths occurred between April 2 and Wednesday.
The first reported death in Indiana happened March 15, with more than three-quarters of the deaths occurring in the past two weeks.
Indiana has averaged about 150 flu deaths over a seven-month period in recent years, according to Dr. Kristina Box, the state health commissioner.
Box voiced some optimism Wednesday that steps such as the statewide stay-at-home order have slowed the growth of COVID-19 infections and allowed Indiana hospitals to maintain their capacity to treat seriously ill patients.
But Box has said she expected the coronavirus illness peak to arrive in late April for the Indianapolis area and the first weeks of May for rest of the state.
The health department also reported 611 new COVID-19 infections Thursday, giving Indiana more than 9,500 cases even though testing has been largely limited to those seriously ill and health care workers.
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