INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Friday's latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic, including the latest news on COVID-19 vaccinations and testing in Indiana. Registrations for the vaccine are now open for select groups through the Indiana State Department of Health. This story will be updated over the course of the day with more news on the COVID-19 pandemic.
IMS clinic to resume Saturday with J&J vaccine
The one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson will again be available at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway starting Saturday.
The U.S. lifted the pause on the use of vaccine on Friday. The halt was instituted April 13 over concerns about blood clots caused by the shot. Health officials found 15 cases of blood clots that may have been caused by the vaccine out of the nearly 8 million doses administered.
The clinics run from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. April 24-29 for Hoosiers 18 years of age or older to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
IMS announced that Friday, April 30 will be a family day for vaccinations, where those age 16 and older can receive the first dose of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine.
Appointments can be made at ourshot.in.gov or by calling 211.
NFL updates protocols for vaccinated people
In a memo sent by Commissioner Roger Goodell to the 32 clubs Friday and obtained by The Associated Press, he cited the "advice of our medical and scientific experts" for the agreement to modify protocols to "reflect the reduced risk of infection and transmission for fully vaccinated individuals."
Effective immediately, fully vaccinated individuals in the NFL (players, coaches, staff and executives) are no longer required to be tested each day for the novel coronavirus. Instead, they must be tested weekly on a monitoring basis.
They also are no longer required to submit to lengthy “entry” testing following travel, and are not required to quarantine if identified as a “high risk close contact” with an infected individual.
"The NFL and NFLPA will closely monitor the impact of these changes and will consider additional modifications to the protocols as vaccination levels in club facilities increase," Goodell wrote. "In the meantime, fully vaccinated individuals and other tiered staff and players must continue to wear masks and (contact warning) devices while in the club facility, and adhere to the other provisions of the protocols."
US health panel reviewing J&J vaccine pause over rare blood clots
With the U.S. pause of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine stretched into a second week, authorities are weighing whether to resume the shots the way European regulators decided to -- with warnings of a “very rare” risk.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Friday to discuss the J&J vaccine and potential updated recommendations.
New guidance is expected late Friday after a government advisory panel deliberates a possible link between J&J’s shot and a small number of vaccine recipients who developed highly unusual blood clots.
Health officials said Friday they were aware of 15 cases of the unusual clots since the government authorized use of the vaccine and nearly 8 million shots were given. All were women, most of them under 50. Three died, and seven remain hospitalized.
State reports 5 more deaths, almost 4M total vaccine doses administered
The Indiana Department of Health announced Friday that a total of 3,938,806 doses of COVID-19 have now been administered in Indiana. This includes 2,253,551 first doses and 1,685,255 individuals who are fully vaccinated. The fully vaccinated number represents individuals who have received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines as well as those who received the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
In the past 24 hours, the state reported 31,474 more people were fully vaccinated.
To date, 12,848 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of five from Thursday. The five newly reported deaths occurred between March 24, 2021 and Thursday.
Another 408 probable deaths have been reported based in patients who died with COVID-19 symptoms but had no positive test on record.
The state reported 1,124 new positive cases in Friday's total, raising the number of unique individuals to test positive for the virus to 712,858.
To find testing sites around the state, visit www.coronavirus.in.gov and click on the COVID-19 testing information link.
Appointments, walk-ups available for Colts vaccination clinic at Lucas Oil Stadium
The Indianapolis Colts, Meijer and Lucas Oil Stadium are hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24 for Hoosiers 18 and older.
Preliminary registration for the clinic has now closed, but people may still make an appointment by texting “COLTS” to 75049 or visiting Colts.com/vaccine.
Appointments are available at five-minute increments and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
A limited number of walk-up appointments will be available. Walk-up guests should plan to enter the stadium at the southeast gate and must have proof of insurance and/or government issued ID to be considered eligible. Doses will be available while supplies last and are not guaranteed.
The first dose of the Moderna vaccine will be administered. Second doses will be scheduled in May.
The clinic runs from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. both days.
All vaccine recipients will also receive a free Colts mini pennant.
N95 masks should no longer be reused, FDA says
The Biden administration has taken the first step toward ending an emergency exception that allowed hospitals to ration and reuse N95 medical masks, the first line of defense between frontline workers and the deadly coronavirus.
Thousands of medical providers have died in the COVID-19 pandemic, many exposed and infected while caring for patients without adequate protection.
Throughout the pandemic, once a week many doctors and nurses were issued an N95 mask, which is normally designed to be tossed after each patient.
Now U.S. manufacturers say they have vast surpluses for sale, and hospitals say they have three to 12 month stockpiles.
In response, the government says hospitals and healthcare providers should try to return to one mask per patient.
Japan issues 3rd coronavirus emergency in Tokyo, Osaka area
Japan declared a third state of emergency for Tokyo and three western prefectures on Friday amid skepticism it will be enough to curb a rapid coronavirus resurgence ahead of the Olympics in July.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo from April 25 through May 11.
Japan’s third state of emergency since the pandemic began comes only a month after an earlier emergency ended in the Tokyo area. For days, experts and local leaders said ongoing semi-emergency measures have failed and tougher steps are urgently needed.
As COVID vaccine demand drops in US, some places turn down doses
As the supply of coronavirus vaccine doses in the U.S. outpaces demand, some places around the country are finding there's such little interest in the shots that they need to turn down shipments.
The dwindling demand for vaccines illustrates the challenge that the U.S. faces in trying to conquer the pandemic while at the same time dealing with the optics of tens of thousands of doses sitting on shelves when countries like India and Brazil are in the midst of full-blown medical emergencies.
More than half of American adults have received at least one vaccine dose, and President Joe Biden this week celebrated eclipsing 200 million doses administered in his first 100 days in office. He also acknowledged entering a new phase to bolster outreach and overcome hesitancy.
Pregnant women with COVID-19 at higher risk for death, worldwide study finds
A new worldwide and peer-reviewed study has found that while pregnant women are not any more likely to be infected with the coronavirus than non-pregnant women. But if they do catch the virus, they are 20 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than pregnant women who are not infected.
Pregnant women and their newborns were also more likely to suffer other complications, including premature birth.
Authors of the study say it reinforces the importance of pregnant women to get the coronavirus vaccine.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 31.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 4 a.m. ET Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 569,400 deaths in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 144.7 million confirmed cases with more than 3 million deaths and 83.1 million recoveries.
The actual number of people infected by the virus around the world is believed to be much higher — perhaps 10 times higher in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — given testing limitations and the many mild cases that have gone unreported or unrecognized.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness like pneumonia, or death.