Indiana reports 2nd coronavirus death, more confirmed cases

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A second person has died in Indiana from a coronavirus-related death, state health officials announced Tuesday.

The person, who was older than 60 and had been hospitalized, was from Johnson County, which is just south of Indianapolis, the Indiana State Department of Health reported.

That announcement came after Indiana recorded its first COVID-19 death on Monday, when an Indianapolis resident died.

The health department reported Tuesday six additional confirmed COVID-19 illnesses, giving the state 30 cases across 15 counties. The new cases involve two people each from Franklin, Lake and Marion counties.

State officials acknowledge that likely thousands of people are infected by the virus and that testing is largely being done on those with serious symptoms or known exposure to others infected.

Most schools around Indiana are closed to students and Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday called for the closing of all restaurants, nightclubs and bars as of Tuesday to help stem the spread of the virus.

Indiana's Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday said they were suspending all public Sunday and weekday Masses starting Wednesday until further notice. The bishops cited the recommendations of health officials, who have asked for no public gatherings of more than 50 people.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

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