Indiana reports 354 more confirmed COVID-19 cases

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - State health officials said Monday that 354 more Indiana residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and an additional eight people have died from the disease.

The Indiana State Department of Health reported the total number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus is now 31,715, after corrections to Sunday’s total. A total of 1,832 Indiana residents are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, and another 152 probably deaths have been reported based on diagnoses for patients without a positive test on record.

A total of 226,251 tests have been reported to the state health department to date, with a positive test rate of 14%. That includes testing conducted by the state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private laboratories.

Indiana officials are encouraging people with symptoms of COVID-19, people who have been exposed to the virus and need a test to return to work to visit a state-sponsored site for free testing. Tests are also available for people over 65 or those considered high risk - including people with diabetes or other underlying health conditions - even if they do not have symptoms.

The coronavirus causes symptoms such as fever and cough that are mild or moderate and clear up in two to three weeks for most people. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

This story has been corrected to show numbers reported Monday, not Sunday.