Indiana Coronavirus Deaths Reach 844, With 70 COVID-19 Fatalities In Lake County

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Lake County, Ind., has now reported 70 deaths in the past month from COVID-19, according to state health department data.

Lake County reported the first death from the novel coronavirus on March 26, the 70th fatal case was reported on Sunday. The county is the second-worst hit area in the state in terms of both fatalities and total infections.  A total of 1,586 Lake County Hoosiers have been positively tested for COVID-19. The county reported its first case on March 16.

The Indianapolis area remains the epicenter of the outbreak with a total of 4,926 cases and 267 deaths. Marion County reported its first case on March 6 and first death on March 15, according to state data.

Across the state, there are now 15,961 cases of COVID-19 (+963 from the day before) and 844 deaths (+31).  The number of cases is likely much higher because the state, like most of the country, does not have enough testing capacity to officially diagnose everybody who may get sick or is not showing symptoms but could still be spreading the disease.

While the numbers of cases and deaths continue to rise, the state does have an ample availability of ventilators (80%) and ICU beds (44%) for the most seriously ill.