COVID-19 In Indiana: A Look At Cases In Major College Counties
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's health commissioner, Allison Arwady, warned that Indiana could be placed on Chicago's travel restriction list next week, due in part to COVID-19 outbreaks on college campuses.
Looking at Indiana state health department data, there have been big increases in case loads in four of five counties with major universities.
Here is a breakdown:
Notre Dame, South Bend: In St. Joseph county, an outbreak on campus forced university leaders to switch to remote learning for two weeks. Students returned to in-person learning this week. A single day record of 176 cases was reported on Aug. 20. The seven-day daily COVID case average peaked at 130 on Aug. 25 and has since declined to 57 currently. A total of 26% of COVID-19 cases were people between the ages of 20-29; 17% were under age 20.
Purdue, West Lafayette: In Tippecanoe County, cases began to rise as students returned to campus, but the numbers have been flat for the past two weeks. A record 30 cases were reported on Aug. 21. The high average case number stood at 19 on Aug. 16 and stands at 16 currently. A total of 26% with COVID-19 are 20-29; 17% are under age 20.
Indiana University, Bloomington: In Monroe County, cases have spiked this week--two days have seen more than 50 cases a day. The seven day moving average is also at a record of 35 cases. In mid-August that number was 10. About 40% of COVID-19 cases are people between 20-29 years old; 15% are under 19.
Ball State, Muncie: Delaware County has also seen a spike in recent days. A record 74 cases were reported on Aug. 28 and the seven-day moving average is at a high point of 48 cases--that number was 10 on Aug. 22. Nearly 30% of COVID-19 cases are people between 20-29; 13% are under age 19.
Indiana State, Terre Haute: There is a similar trend in Vigo County. A record 78 cases were reported on Aug. 31 and the seven-day case average is at its highest level (40). That number was 14 a month ago. About 25% of COVID-19 cases were between ages 20-29; 12% are under age 20.
Statewide, the average case count remains near the record high, but has been flat over the past two weeks. Currently, on average, there are 914 cases a day.
"I want to let Chicagoans know that we have concerns about Indiana, and particularly would encourage you not to travel to college and university towns in Indiana," Arwady said on Tuesday. "If we don't see improvement across the state, we will then add them next Tuesday. So we're keeping an eye on it."