INDIANAPOLIS — Sunday's latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
Purdue head football coach Jeff Brohm presumed positive for COVID-19
Purdue University officials announced Sunday that during the university's daily COVID-19 testing, head football coach Jeff Brohm returned a presumed positive result through an antigen test.
The university is awaiting confirmation from a PCR test.
"He informed his staff and the team this afternoon and is currently at home in isolation," a spokesperson said in a release.
State announces 1,629 new cases, 19 additional deaths
The Indiana Department of Health announced that 1,629 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19. That brings the total number of Indiana residents known to have the virus to 147,582.
A total of 3,704 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 19 from Saturday. Another 233 probable deaths have been reported among patients for whom no positive test was recorded before they died.
As of Sunday, 1,555,437 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 1,545,927 on Saturday. A total of 2,512,174 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the state Department of Health since Feb. 26.
Colts holding attendance at 12,500 today
As COVID-19 cases continue to spike at record rates around Indiana, the Indianapolis Colts are forced to cap attendance at today's game against the Cincinnati Bengals at 12,500 fans.
Marion County Public Health Department Director Dr. Virginia Caine said Thursday of last week that capacity at the Colts game will remain at 12,500 with no immediate plans to bump it up to 15,000 people.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the county’s goal is to reach below 35 new cases a day. Marion County had more than 200 cases the day Dr. Caine and Hogsett announced a pause in changes.
Indiana’s daily average of new coronavirus infections continued growing at record levels with Saturday’s update from state health officials, who also added 31 more COVID-19 deaths to the state’s toll.
The state health department’s daily update showed Indiana’s seven-day rolling average of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections reached 1,799 as of Friday. That is the highest level the state has seen during the pandemic and has more than doubled over the past three weeks.
The 2,521 new infections reported Saturday, a daily high, marked the second straight day that figure topped 2,000 in a single day. The health department said the number was inflated by about 100 cases that weren’t previously included because of technical issues. The newly recorded deaths raise Indiana’s death toll to 3,918.
Gov. Eric Holcomb cited the increase in cases on Wednesday when he said he would continue the statewide mask mandate for another month.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 8.1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of 5:30 a.m. ET Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 219,200 deaths and 3.33 million people recovered.
Worldwide, there have been 39.29 million confirmed cases with more than 1.11 million deaths and 27.3 million recoveries.
The real number of people infected by the virus around the world is believed to be much higher — perhaps 10 times higher in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — given testing limitations and the many mild cases that have gone unreported or unrecognized.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness like pneumonia, or death.
Russia shuns tough restrictions even as infections soar
Popular bars and restaurants in Moscow's city center were packed on Friday night. No one except for the staff is wearing masks or bothers to keep their distance. There is little indication at all that Russia is being swept by a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
The outbreak this month is breaking the records set in the spring, when a lockdown to slow the spread was put in place. But authorities in Russia are hesitant to shut down businesses again.
Some regions have closed nightclubs or limited bars and restaurants, but few measures have been implemented in Moscow, the epicenter of the surge.
Three times in the last week, Russia surpassed its daily death toll record of 232, set in the spring.