INDIANAPOLIS — COVID-19 cases are slowly creeping back up across Indiana, all as concerns grow nationwide about the delta variant, superspreader events and the impact on kids before fall semester.
Last week, state health leaders sounded the alarm.
“Unfortunately, we do expect to see outbreaks in areas with low vaccination rates,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box.
The data is already proving them right. The 612 COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday is the highest count in more than six weeks, since May 27, when there were 674 cases reported.
On average, over the past week, daily infections are creeping up. Doctors are pointing to the more infectious delta variant.
“It spreads more easily. We know that for certain," said Dr. Joseph Smith, a critical care physician at Eskenazi Health. "There are also some early reports that it may be more severe.”
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Smith said he’s been bracing for this increase.
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “It worries me, but I am not surprised.”
It does not help that more than half or eligible Hoosiers are unvaccinated. Doctors say almost to a rule, patients admitted are not vaccinated.
“It’s like 98 to 100 percent across the nation," said Dr. Cole Beeler, an infectious diseases doctor at IU Health. "The vast, vast majority of people who have been admitted to the hospital have not been vaccinated and those are the people who are having bad outcomes.”
Beeler said lately it is people who’ve already had COVID-19 who thought they’d be protected from re-infection.
“The vaccine seems to cover this variant well. Natural infection or immunity from natural infection does not seem to be as effective against this variant and many of the other variants,” said Beeler.
Both doctors say they expect numbers will continue to increase and it’s frustrating.
“This is an entirely preventable risk of hospitalization and severe disease and or death and if Hoosiers take the warning seriously, they will go get vaccinated as soon as they can,” Smith said.