Indiana state health official says Anderson's Bethany Pointe nursing home COVID-19 deaths now at 24

ANDERSON — The number of Bethany Pointe residents who have died with coronavirus symptoms is now 24, a state health official said Friday.

Indiana Health Commissioner Kristina Box, speaking at the governor's daily 2:30 p.m. press conference, said the total deaths traced to the Anderson assisted living facility had increased by 13 since Monday.

She said that 16 of the 24 who died had tested positive for COVID-19 and that the six others had shown symptoms of the disease.

Box had reported Monday that 11 Bethany Pointe residents had died of COVID-19, all since March 26.

The state sent a "strike team" of health care specialists late last week to the north Anderson residential facility to help implement health measures and test residents and staff.

Related developments

• Madison County Health Department Administrator Stephenie Grimes said Friday that her office had offered last week to send people to help staff at Bethany Pointe. Officials of the facility responded Friday, accepting that help.

• All residents of local long-term care facilities who've died recently but were not tested before their deaths will be tested posthumously to determine whether they were infected with COVID-19, Madison County Coroner Danielle Noone said Friday. Noone said local hospitals will be asked to provide coronavirus tests for that purpose.