INDIANAPOLIS — The latest local and national headlines in the coronavirus pandemic from Monday, Oct. 26, 2020.
Indiana schools seeing increase in cases
More than 5,000 Indiana students, teachers and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 this school year.
The state released updated information about coronavirus in schools Monday.
The numbers show 3,507 students, 719 teachers and 801 staff members have tested positive for the virus. That's up by 639 new student cases from a week ago. Teacher and staff cases both increased by about 100 new cases, as well.
In all, 1,314 schools report having recorded at least one case of COVID-19 this year. But for some perspective, 562 schools say they have not had a single case of the virus. Not all schools are reporting their cases, as it is not required to do so. Nearly 500 schools, including the state's largest district in Indianapolis Public Schools, have not reported either way.
US Dept. of Health sends millions of antigen tests to Indiana
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is sending more than two million Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 point-of-care antigen tests to Indiana. The rapid tests, which can diagnose coronavirus infection in as little as 15 minutes, will be distributed to support testing K-12 students, teachers, nursing home patients and staff, higher education, critical infrastructure and first responders.
“To facilitate the continued re-opening of Indiana schools, businesses and economy, the Trump Administration has prioritized scaling up the state’s point of care testing capacity by making this $760 million national investment in BinaxNOW tests,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir, MD. “Distributing these rapid tests directly to states is consistent with the Trump Administration’s successful, ongoing approach of testing the right person, with the right test at the right time, is working and the effort will continue until the pandemic is under control.”
The state has given 243,000 of the BinaxNOW tests with long-term care facilities. Gov. Holcomb is planning to deploy other BinaxNOW tests to K-12 schools to tests students along with strike teams to support school events. The state will also prioritize the Department of Corrections and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment-waived sites in orange and red counties, according to a release from the U.S Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Giroir wanted to remind people that the tests are not a substitute for avoiding crowded indoor spaces, washing one’s hands, or wearing a mask when not able to physically distance.
ISDH update on COVID-19 in the state
Indiana State Department of Health reported on Monday that there are 2,009 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, totaling more than 164,000 cases.
There are an additional 13 deaths totaling 3,907 Hoosiers who have died since the start of the pandemic.
Indiana's 7-day all-test positivity rate is 6.9 percent.
VP & Second Lady test negative again Monday
The vice president's office said VP Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence have again tested negative for COVID-19 Monday morning, according to CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins.
"Vice President Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence were tested again this morning and both are negative, according to his office," Collins wrote on Twitter. "He heads for Minnesota in a few hours for a campaign event."
Burger Study to close in downtown Indy
Huse Culinary, which also owns and operates St. Elmo Steakhouse and Harry & Izzy's in the same downtown Indianapolis area, announced Burger Study will close after three years in business on Georgia Street.
The gourmet burger restaurant targeted office workers, sporting events, conventions, concerts and business travelers. According to a closing announcement shared by Huse, "The restaurant saw double-digit, year-over-year sales increases into 2020 and its future was bright before the COVID-19 pandemic hit."
Employees will be offered jobs at other Huse restaurants.
Gov. Holcomb tests negative for COVID-19 after Pence visit
Following the news that Vice President Pence's chief of staff tested positive for COVID-19 and his recent visit to Indiana, Gov. Holcomb was tested Sunday as a precaution.
Holcomb's press secretary told 13News that the governor received negative results on both an Abbott rapid test and a nasopharyngeal PCR test.
"Dr. Box and Dr. Weaver have advised Gov. Holcomb that he can resume his normal schedule with vigilance about masking and physical distancing," Holcomb's press secretary said.
Pence to keep up travel despite contact with infected aide
The White House says Vice President Mike Pence plans to maintain an aggressive campaign schedule this week despite his exposure to a top aide who tested positive for the coronavirus.
The vice president's office says that under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, Pence is considered a “close contact” of his chief of staff, Marc Short, but will not quarantine because he is considered as essential worker.
Pence himself tested negative.
Indiana's COVID-19 hospitalizations highest since April
State health officials say Indiana’s hospitals entered the weekend with their most COVID-19 patients since the first weeks after the coronavirus outbreak reached the state seven months ago. The state health department has also added 38 more coronavirus-related deaths to Indiana’s toll over past two days.
The newly recorded deaths raise Indiana’s death toll to 4,130, including confirmed and presumed coronavirus infections.
The 1,685 coronavirus hospitalizations as of Friday marked Indiana’s most since mid-April and also up about double from late September.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 8.63 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of 4 a.m. ET Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 225,200 deaths and 3.42 million people recovered.
Worldwide, there have been more than 43 million confirmed cases with more than 1.15 million deaths and 28.96 million recoveries.
The real 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.
Trump aide: 'We're not going to control the pandemic'
The coronavirus has reached the upper echelons of the White House again, with an outbreak among aides to Vice President Mike Pence just over a week from Election Day.
A top White House official, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, declared on Sunday that "we’re not going to control the pandemic."
Officials also scoffed at the notion of Pence dialing back in-person campaigning despite positive tests among several people in his office, and the vice president was back out on the trail on Sunday. Democrat Joe Biden said that Meadows is effectively waving "the white flag of defeat."