HEALTH OFFICIALS: "Indiana is Planning for the Worst, hoping for the best" in Coronavirus Fight

STATE WIDE--Indiana is planning for the worst, but hoping for the best. State health commissioner Dr. Kris Box, said the state has requested help from the Army Corps or Engineers in planning for field hospitals in case of a shortage of medical facilities to treat people with coronavirus.

"It's a very sad reality of this pandemic that our numbers of cases and number of deaths will continue to increase," said Box. "I do not want Hoosiers to see these rising numbers and think the peak has arrived. We have a very long way to go before we reach the peak and I cannot say enough about how important it is for you to stay home."

Box said no specific locations or capacities for the potential hospitals have been ironed out.

"We have formally requested the assistance of the Army Corps of Engineers to provide facility assessments and other planning help so that we are prepared to set up field hospitals in key areas of the state," said Box. "Our hope is that we never need this, but we must prepare as if we will."

Box, in a Tuesday news conference, said if you are hoarding hydrochloroquine or taking it to prevent coronavirus, you may be hurting someone else without helping yourself.

"The data of the use of this medication to treat COVID-19 is very limited," she said. "There is very limited evidence in the success of this in preventing an individual from getting COVID-19."

Box said the medication is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and is sometimes hard to come by, and keeping it for yourself, keeps people who need it to treat those illnesses from getting it. Box urged that the decision to treat coronavirus with hydrochloroquine is between the doctor and patient.

Gov. Eric Holcomb said an executive order he issued today will extend the carry-out and delivery only rule for restaurants and bars through April 6, the current end date for the stay-at-home order.

He thanked people who have joined sewing clubs to sew masks and gowns. He also promised an economic response package for large and small businesses suffering because of the stay at home order.