Indiana reports record new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations

Indiana set a single-day record of newly reported COVID-19 cases for the second straight day Thursday as the state surpassed 4,000 new cases for the first time and coronavirus hospitalizations also surged to a new high, state health officials said.

The new records came one day after Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has continued resisting calls for reinstating coronavirus limits he largely lifted in September, said following his landslide reelection victory that he's not making any changes to state policy on handling COVID-19.

The 4,462 new COVID-19 cases the Indiana State Department of Health reported Thursday were the state's highest single-day level of the pandemic, eclipsing the previous record of 3,756 new cases officials reported Wednesday.

The state agency's daily statistics update also showed that Indiana had 1,948 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday. That's the largest number Indiana has seen since officials began releasing those counts last spring, early in the pandemic, and exceeds the 1,897 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

State health officials also added 45 more coronavirus-related deaths to Indiana's pandemic toll Thursday, raising it to 4,511, including confirmed and presumed coronavirus infections.

Indiana's seven-day rolling average of daily deaths stood at 29 on Wednesday, representing one of the highest levels since May and nearly double from a month ago, statistics showed.

Holcomb, who won a second term as governor on Tuesday by defeating Democrat Woody Myers said Wednesday he's not making any changes to COVID-19 policy, including no statewide closure of schools.

Myers, a former state health commissioner, had called for tougher anti-virus actions as Indiana's COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths and new infections climbed steeply since nearly all state restrictions were lifted in September.