Indiana surpassed 13,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths Sunday. The state’s rate of newly reported deaths has continued its exponential slowdown since the state began vaccine distribution.
The state has gone from an average of nearly 98 deaths per day in December to seven deaths per day in April.
After recording more than 100 deaths for 12 days in December, the state has only reported 10 or more deaths three times since April 15, which is the best month since the start of the pandemic.
Which makes sense – state health officials justified their strict adherence to age-based eligibility for vaccines because age is such a huge factor in deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19.
READ MORE: How Will Indiana Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines? Here's What You Need To Know
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State health officials say there are an additional 415 suspected COVID-19 deaths – where a test wasn’t administered but health care professionals believe the person had the virus.
About 48 percent of Indiana’s deaths come from long-term care facilities.
The Indiana Department of Health reported 66 deaths in the last week.
Contact Lauren at lchapman@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @laurenechapman_.
