INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO): With the mask mandate dropped and gathering restrictions loosened, COVID-19 cases are climbing back up in Indiana.

COVID-19 cases in Indiana went up by four digits for the fifth straight day, according to numbers released by the Indiana State Department of Health.  There have been just over 708,000 cases of coronavirus patients statewide, after adding 1,041 cases yesterday.

Statewide, 5.2% of tests over the past seven days have come back positive, up from as low as 3% at the beginning of March. The seven-day positivity rate in Allen County is 6.4%.

The good news is: deaths remain on a downward trend, with just seven reported statewide yesterday.