(La Porte County, IN) - Twelve people died in La Porte County last month from COVID-19, according to La Porte County Health Department Administrator Amanda Lahners. Just one death happened in June.

Lahners feels such a sharp increase in deaths shows the need for more people to get vaccinated.

“It’s upsetting to see that number when you have people dying from a vaccine-preventable disease. We still need to keep working on our communication with the public,” she said.

Lahners said that fewer than 60-percent of La Porte County residents are fully vaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, 3,325,750 people are fully vaccinated, or 49% of Indiana's population.