INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s coronavirus death toll is JUMPING by 10-percent — but this time, it’s the result of a change in methodology.

State health commissioner Kristina Box says Indiana has 79 “presumptive” COVID-19 deaths: people for whom there’s strong evidence the virus was a contributing cause of death, but who were never tested. She notes the virus leaves a distinctive pattern on C-T scans of the lungs, and can also be diagnosed through chest X-rays or the patient’s symptoms.

Box says the state needs the most accurate possible picture of the virus’s spread, to make informed decisions about how and where it’s safe to begin loosening restrictions. She says presumptive cases will be listed separately on the health department website. Adding them brings the death toll so far to 820.

Box says the health department has received calls asking about President Trump’s suggestion that injecting disinfectants might kill the virus. “We have assured them that that is not something that we recommend.” The makers of Lysol have been more blunt, issuing a statement that “under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body.”

Trump himself has backed away from the idea, claiming he was being sarcastic. Indiana Senator Mike Braun, who joined Box and Governor Holcomb for their daily briefing on the pandemic, suggests the pressure the pandemic has placed on the country makes Trump overly “exuberant” about anything that might relieve it.

“Sometimes when you’re not clear with how you say things, especially when you’re at a high level, it’s best probably not to venture into areas that you may not know a lot about,” Braun says.