Pulaski, Starke Counties Report Increase in COVID-19 Cases

The Starke County Health Department reported an increase of four new positive COVID-19 cases on Thursday while the Pulaski County Health Department reported two new cases.

Starke County Health Nurse Frank Lynch said the number of cases in Starke County is now up to 21.  Two cases were reported early Thursday morning and two additional cases were reported a few hours later.

Terri Hansen from the Pulaski County Health Department said Thursday that two additional positive cases of COVID-19 were reported there.  Pulaski County reported 33 COVID-19 cases. They are assuming that a COVID-19 outbreak at the Tyson meatpacking plant in neighboring Cass County might have caused the case numbers to spike.  Cass County has 1,469 positive cases which is over half of the number of people tested. 

Marshall County reported 31 positive cases Thursday morning.  La Porte County had 20 new cases which brings that total up to 303 with 10 deaths.

In Thursday’s report, the Indiana State Department of Health announced that 650 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at the Indiana State Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private laboratories.  More testing is being done so numbers may continue to increase.  The state says 22,503 Indiana residents have the novel coronavirus. 

A total of 1,295 Hoosiers have died of COVID-19 which is an increase of 31 from Wednesday’s total.  The number of probable deaths totals 119 which means COVID-19 may have been a contributing factor, but there wasn’t a positive test.