The state health department on Tuesday announced the second coronavirus-related death, which was in Johnson County.
The adult who died was over the age of 60 and had been hospitalized, according to a news release from the Indiana State Department of Health. There are still three confirmed cases of the virus in Johnson County.
The individual who died was not the man 10 White River Township firefighters were exposed to on Saturday, Fire Chief Jeremy Pell said.
Those first responders have self-quarantined after possible exposure to COVID-19 this weekend.
Firefighters with the White River Township Fire Department were on a medical run Saturday afternoon where a 60-year-old Johnson County man died. The man was not confirmed to have the virus, but displayed respiratory distress and symptoms related to the illness, Pell said.
All 10 first responders who were on the run were sterilized and self-quarantined immediately, Pell said. Five are staying in the department’s former headquarters on Smith Valley Road, and the other five found places to stay away from their families.
The patient who died was tested by the Johnson County Health Department for COVID-19, and results are expected today, Pell said. If the patient tests negative, the firefighters will no longer be quarantined. But if the results are positive, the firefighters will have to stay where they are and go through the 14-day incubation period before testing them is possible, Pell said.
The announcement of the second death came a day 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.
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.
