Ind. reports 71 new COVID-19 deaths

Indiana reported 71 new COVID-19 deaths Friday, according to the State Department of Health.

Lake County saw four deaths, with 519 total, or roughly 1 out of every 1,000 people. Porter County reported that 133 people have died, up from 129 Thursday.

Indiana reported 7,360 new cases, up to 412,135 positive cases since the pandemic began. Over 6,600 have died. The state has a 13.7% positivity rate .

Cases are growing fast, as it faces a bleak winter, with hospitalization rates still high and ICU bed availability remaining low — with 45 open beds combined in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper hospitals.

The state remains the third

highest per-capita virus spread rate following Rhode Island and North Dakota, according to the

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Indiana’s hospitals will have to postpone elective surgeries starting next week to free up hospital capacity under an order Gov. Eric Holcomb i ssued Wednesday in light of the state’s recent steep increases in serious COVID-19 illnesses.

Indiana’s hospitals are currently treating more than quadruple the number of COVID-19 patients that were under care in late September, when the state’s recent steep increase in hospitalizations and deaths began.

Indiana’s COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a peak of 3,460 on Nov. 30, but health officials across the state remain worried about hospitals being overwhelmed by severely ill patients.

JEFF ROBERSON/AP Marks are seen on the face of nurse Shelly Girardin as she removes a mask after performing rounds in a COVID-19 unit. Hospitals around the country, especially in Indiana, have been packed with patients.