Coronavirus In Indiana: Deaths From COVID-19 In Lake County Rise To 19, With 245 Across State

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The number of coronavirus infections and fatalities in Lake County, Ind., continued to rise, with state health officials now reporting 19 deaths and 525 cases of COVID-19. Only the Indianapolis area, which has been the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Indiana, has been hit harder.

Across the state, there have been 245 deaths and reports of 6,351 Hoosiers with COVID-19. In Marion County (Indianapolis), there have been 2,451 cases and 81 deaths, health officials reported on Thursday. Several counties surrounding Indianapolis have higher numbers of infections and deaths compared with the rest of the state--with the exception of Lake. A map showing the breakdown of cases and deaths in Illinois shows the worst of the outbreak in on the south and southeast sides of Chicago, closest to Lake County.

Outside of the central part of the state, Lake County has been hit hardest by far, especially across Northern Indiana.  In Allen County (Fort Wayne) there have been seven COVID-19 deaths. LaPorte and Elkhart counties each report three deaths. The infection rate in Lake County is now 21.5 percent of those tested. The mortality rate stands at 3.6 percent. The numbers of those infected with COVID-19 are likely much higher, due to limitations on the number of tests available.

Across the county, African Americans and Hispanics have been dying of COVID-19 as disproportionate numbers. Indiana has yet to release a racial breakdown of its cases.