<p>INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and newly confirmed infections continue growing in trends that have continued for at least three weeks. </p>
<p>The state health department’s <a href="https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/2393.htm">latest COVID-19 tracking update</a> showed Indiana hospitals treating 909 people for coronavirus illnesses as of Sunday to reach the highest level since mid-February. Those hospitalizations have gone up about 65% since March 21. </p>
<p>Gov. Eric Holcomb cited Indiana’s steep drop in hospitalizations from more than 3,000 during most days in December as among the reasons for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-indiana-coronavirus-pandemic-17fb9f9404d50645a91504f11e0ec0dc">dropping the statewide mask mandate</a> and other coronavirus-related restrictions as of April 6. Some health experts warned it was too early to take that step as not enough of the state’s population was vaccinated yet.</p>
<p>Concerns have also grown about a surge of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-coronavirus-pandemic-rochelle-walensky-d5810b87b122a59bf734cf69f20aa51b">coronavirus infections in Michigan.</a></p>
<p>Indiana’s new COVID-19 infections have reached a seven-day average of 1,145, which is up about 50% since mid-March. </p>
<p>The state’s daily average of coronavirus-related deaths has remained below 10 since mid-March after that average peaked at more than 100 a day in December. The state health department has recorded at least 23 such deaths for last week, pushing Indiana’s pandemic death toll to about 13,150.</p>
<p>The health department reported Monday that about 1.4 million Indiana residents — or about 26% of those ages 16 and older — have been fully vaccinated. </p>
