Dr. Aaron Ermel says when numbers of new cases remain consistent day-to-day, it is indicates "flattening the curve." He says social distancing is key to preventing new cases. (Indiana State Department Of Health )
Health and government officials say the next couple weeks will be critical to preventing spread of COVID-19 in Indiana communities.
Dr. Aaron Ermel is a Clinical Service Line Leader for the Division of Infectious Diseases for IU Health. He says it’s too early to see the real effects of social distancing.
But he says one important trend to follow is number of new cases per day.
“That trend is starting to flatten out over time," he says. "So, we think the major reason for this is partly social distancing measures that actually Indiana started a little bit earlier than some other states.”
In the last week, there have been between 400 and 600 new cases in Indiana reported daily.
Ermel says it’s important people continue to practice social distancing.
"This is kind of one of our best weapons againt this disease," Ermel says. "So if the community wants to participate, I think trying to continue to follow these measures is what will continue to flatten out what we're seeing as far as new cases and allow us to spread that out over time."
He says this slows the spread of the virus and will help prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by a huge spike of the infection.
