I wish better news was there to report on the novel coronavirus front, but the numbers continue rising.  Here are just a few.

As of Sunday, April 26, the state has reported 813 COVID-19 deaths.  In Hamilton County, health officials report 45 deaths, 27 of those in long-term care facilities.  13 people passing away from novel coronavirus had Fishers addresses.

Note that in Hamilton County, 27 of the 45 COVID-19 deaths happened in long-term care facilities.  However, the state of Indiana has refused to disclose where specific long-term care facilities are reporting COVID-19 issues.  The homes are now required to report this data to the state.

Tony Cook of the Indianapolis Star wrote an excellent piece posted to the IndyStar Web site on April 20th.  It centers on family members with loved ones in these facilities being left in the dark.  Here is some of Mr. Cook’s story:

“While some states are disclosing facility-specific information about the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in nursing homes, Indiana is among those that refuse to identify individual facilities.

“That leaves residents and their families at the mercy of the nursing homes themselves, which are not required by law to provide the information. And while some facilities are providing routine updates, many are not, adding the fear of the unknown to an already terrifying situation.

“Some families even say the lack of information has compromised the safety of their loved ones.”

(Another reason to subscribe to the IndyStar and other local media)

So far, Governor Eric Holcomb has refused to direct his Indiana State Health Commissioner, Dr. Kristina Box, to release detailed information about which nursing homes are experiencing deaths and/or positive tests for COVID-19.  This has resulted in enraged family members venting on social media, demanding to know more about facilities housing their loved ones.

More locally, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness is moving forward with his Fishers Recovery Plan, now that the Fishers City Council voted Friday morning to approve the establishment of a Fishers City Health Department, then also approved $2.5 million be taken from the city’s cash reserves and used to fund a COVID-19 testing program and local small business loans to help them get back on their feet once given the go-ahead to open again.

I expressed several comments on all this as part of my Larry’s Log daily commentaries (find them at this link).

I hate to be a downer, but if we expect to face this challenge, we need to be real.  This virus will be holding us back for a long time to come, short of some miracle treatment no one can envision at this time.

Axios.com founders Jim VandaHei and Mike Allen posted a story to their news Web site April 25th, laying out the likely grim near future.  They quote Bill Gates, Anthony Fauci, and CDC Director Rober Redfield.  They all say novel coronavirus restrictions will be with us for many months to come….possibly even longer.  Here is a passage from that Axios piece:

“Every big business and school in America is privately planning for the possibility of working and learning at home this fall. Schools have no choice but to contemplate the risks of kids picking up the virus in school, and infecting parents and grandparents at home. CEOs are having the same conversations about the workplace.”

Axios also says the real national unemployment rate is somewhere between 25% and 45%.  So, our unemployment rate in America could already exceed 25%, the highest jobless rate measured during the great depression, in 1933.

It will take a massive and coordinated effort to avoid what Axios just described.  That is a scary scenario.

In my view, that’s why Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness is moving quickly and aggressively to take care of the health and economy of those living and conducting business in his city.  The situation is serious.  Mayor Fadness, as I have said and written before, is going out on a big limb with his Fishers Recovery Plan.  Let’s see what happens next.