COVID Cases Among Children In Northwest Indiana Continue To Rise

(CBS) -- The proportion of COVID-19 cases among Northwest Indiana children is rising to 14%, and that 19-and-under age group could soon claim the second highest number of cases in the area.

That news comes as the region's average daily case count continues a gradual three-week decline, falling to 85. That number hasn't been that low since early August, but it's still well off the low point of an average of 34 daily cases in mid June.

People between the ages of 20-29 continue to report the most COVID cases, with 20%, followed by people 30-39 and 40-49 with 15% each. Younger people are less likely to come down with severe cases that would require hospitalization.

Two more region COVID deaths were reported on Monday by the state health department, bringing the five county total to 393.  There have been 13,217 positive cases reported since the start of the pandemic in March.

Statewide, Indiana reported 720 more cases and 17 deaths for a total of 101,485 cases and 3,173 deaths, not including 224 patients  who likely died of COVID but were never tested. The average daily case count has been basically flat for several weeks, but remains near the record high.  The statewide number of hospitializations has also stabilized, and is about half the record number reported in the spring.

State health data shows 82% of COVID-19 patients have recovered, while 14% of cases are active. Three percent of people with COVID-19 have died in Indiana.