<p>Three more people have died in Indiana from coronavirus-related illnesses, increasing the state’s virus death toll to 35, state health officials said Monday.</p><p>Locally, 92 Johnson County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, said Betsy Swearingen, director of the Johnson County Health Department. Three Greenwood residents, all over the age of 75, have died.</p><p>At Otterbein Franklin Senior Life Community, a local senior care facility where an outbreak has occurred, two additional employees have tested positive, said David Sease, spokesperson for Otterbein Franklin. As of Monday, three employees and one therapist tested positive; three employees and two therapists tested negative; and results for another therapist were pending, Sease said.</p><p>Through a partnership with Eli Lilly, Otterbein plans to test all of its employees in the coming days. Otterbein Franklin’s medical director will systematically test all employees prioritized by role, with direct caregivers being first, Sease said.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>Sixteen Otterbein Franklin SeniorLife Community residents have tested positive for the virus. Eight of those residents remained hospitalized Monday; seven were in isolation at the facility; and one returned home, Otterbein officials said. They were still waiting on three residents’ test results Monday afternoon.</p><p>The outbreak originated last week with a therapist who was admitted to the hospital and tested positive. Otterbein Franklin has more than 500 residents, 165 of whom are in the nursing home where the outbreak has occurred, and about 300 employees.</p><p>Otterbein coordinated with local and state health departments on a "unit management plan," which lays out guidelines for isolation practices, including three levels of isolation, Sease said.</p><p>"It effectively isolates residents in units aligned to their current condition. The plan establishes a unit dedicated to caring for residents that have tested positive for COVID-19," he said.</p><p>"The plan specifically identifies conditions and timing for moves, either to a lesser level as a resident recovers and is no longer infectious, or to a higher level — or even the hospital — should conditions worsen."</p><p>With help from the county’s incident management team, or task force, Otterbein Franklin was given additional personal protective equipment on Saturday, which is required to operate the isolation unit, Sease said.</p><p>Despite reports of a second COVID-19 outbreak in Johnson County, Otterbein is the only one, Swearingen said Monday.</p><p>"Another (senior care) facility had one case, but that is not an outbreak," she said. "We are continuing to work daily with Otterbein along with the state."</p><p>Indiana’s number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 grew by 273 to 1,786, the Indiana State Department of Health said. The state now has nearly seven times the number of confirmed cases as a week ago, while the number of deaths is five times greater.</p><p>Two of the new deaths involved Indianapolis residents, while the other person who died was from southeastern Indiana’s Franklin County.</p><p>Indianapolis had the most new cases at 135, while Hamilton County in suburban Indianapolis had 20 and northwestern Indiana’s Lake County had 12.</p><p>Dr. Kristina Box, the state health commissioner, said Friday that Indiana’s peak of coronavirus illnesses is expected in mid- to late April.</p><p>A statewide stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Eric Holcomb took effect Wednesday, with exemptions for essential businesses to remain open and for necessary trips for food and medicine.</p><p>For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.</p><p><em>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</em></p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Here is a look at isolation levels that are in place at Otterbein Franklin SeniorLife Community:</p><p>Level 1: All residents, including those sharing rooms, will be located in level one units if they are showing no signs of any symptoms related to COVID-19, but might have had exposure to COVID-19 through contact with individuals testing positive or presumed to be positive. These residents will remain isolated to their rooms, will dine in-room and will practice social distancing at all times. They will be screened every eight hours, caregivers will be masked and teams will cleanse and disinfect hard surfaces more frequently than usual. The vast majority of Otterbein Franklin’s nursing residents fit into this level of care.</p><p>Level 2: All residents, including those sharing rooms, will be located in level two units if they are showing signs or symptoms related to COVID-19; but have not been tested. These residents will remain isolated to their rooms. They will be assessed in detail every eight hours, the medical director will be on call daily, caregivers will wear all personal protective equipment and the resident will be masked any time anyone else is in the room. The teams will cleanse and disinfect all surfaces at least two times each day, and laundry will be done separately for each resident. Otterbein Franklin has three residents who fit into this level of care, two of whom are awaiting test results, and one of whom is awaiting testing.</p><p>Level 3: All residents, including those sharing rooms, will be located in level three units if they tested positive for COVID-19. Care directives are identical to those in level two above, but residents are further segregated to ensure those who have tested positive are not sharing rooms or even units with residents who are presumptively positive.</p><p>Source: Otterbein Franklin SeniorLife Community</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
