Indiana announces second coronavirus-related death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The state of Indiana has announced its second death related to the coronavirus.

The announcement came in a news release from the Indiana State Department of Health Tuesday morning.

The patient was an adult over the age of 60 from Johnson County who had been hospitalized. No further information has been released. Johnson County is just south of Indianapolis.

The news comes less than 24 hours after the state announced its first virus-related death. Dr. Ram Yeliti, chief physician executive at the Community Physician Network, urged everyone to practice social distancing for the sake of the more vulnerable people the population.

“Individuals that are young — college kids, all of you who are saying, ‘this is not going to affect me’ — you’re not going to get sick,” Yeliti said. “But you will get somebody else sick. If you go visit your parents, your grandparents or other health care workers, they will get sick, and they will die. This was not the first patient, and they will not be the last.”

Yeliti admitted that there are not enough health care workers or beds to handle the crisis. He said all elective surgeries have been cancelled.

“We’re doing everything we can, but I’m still concerned that in the next couple of weeks, all of the hospitals in the state won’t have enough beds or enough ICU capabilities,” he said. “The best way you can help us is to quarantine yourself.”

“We have no treatment. We have no vaccine,” he added. “So it’s paramount that we do everything we can to minimize interaction with others.”

Indiana Gov. Eric Homcomb re-emphasized that social distancing is important, and reminded residents that dine-in services at bars and restaurants have been canceled.

“We are — make no mistake about it — at war with COVID-19,” Holcomb said. “And we will win that war.”