INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Monday'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 Hoosiers 12 and older 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.
State reports 10K more fully vaccinated, 2 deaths
The Indiana State Department of Health reported another 10,422 people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday morning. The state is reporting 5,398,740 total vaccine shots administered, and 2,672,891 people total are full vaccinated as of Monday.
ISDH also reported 140 new positive cases of novel coronavirus among Indiana residents, along with two additional deaths that occurred on June 3 and June 12.
Large study finds Novavax shot about 90% effective
Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its shot was highly effective against COVID-19 and also protected against variants in a large, late-stage study in the U.S. and Mexico.
The vaccine was about 90% effective overall and preliminary data showed it was safe, the company said.
While demand for COVID-19 shots in the U.S. has dropped off dramatically, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting vaccine supplies in the developing world.
Novavax's study involved nearly 30,000 people ages 18 and up in the U.S. and Mexico. Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart, and the rest got dummy shots.
There were 77 cases of COVID-19 — 14 in the group that got the vaccine and the rest were in volunteers who received dummy shots. None in the vaccine group had moderate or severe disease, compared to 14 in the placebo group.
The vaccine was similarly effective against several variants including the one first detected in the U.K. that's dominant in the U.S., and in high-risk populations including the elderly and people with other health problems.
Side effects were mostly mild — tenderness and pain at the injection site. There were no reports of unusual blood clots or heart problems.
The Novavax vaccine can be stored in standard refrigerators, making it easier to distribute.
Novavax previously announced manufacturing delays due to supply shortages. The company now expects to reach production of 100 million doses a month by the end of September and 150 million doses a month by December.
The company has committed to supplying 110 million doses to the U.S. over the next year and a total of 1.1 billion doses to developing countries.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 33.46 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 2 a.m. ET Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 599,760 deaths in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 175.95 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 3.8 million deaths. More than 2.34 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
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.
Vaccination clinics this week around central Indiana
June 15-16 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.):
Morgan County:
Mooresville High School
550 N. Indiana St.
Mooresville, IN 46158
June 15-17 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.):
Tippecanoe County:
Tippecanoe County Amphitheater
4449 State Road 43
West Lafayette, IN 47906
White County:
Reynolds parking lot
401 W. Second St.
Reynolds, IN 47980
June 16-19 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.):
Wayne County:
Ivy Tech, Richmond
2357 Chester Blvd.
Richmond, IN 47374
June 16-19 (4 to 9 p.m.):
Jennings County:
Jennings County Fair
4920 N. S.R. 3,
North Vernon, IN 47265
Schools across US brace for surge of kindergartners in fall
School districts across the United States are hiring additional teachers in anticipation of what will be one of the largest kindergarten classes ever as enrollment rebounds following the coronavirus pandemic.
As they await the arrival next fall of students who sat out the current school year, educators are also bracing for many students to be less prepared than usual due to lower preschool attendance rates.
"The job of the kindergarten teacher just got a lot harder," said Steven Barnett, senior co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. He coauthored a report that found that the number of 4-year-olds participating in preschool fell from 71% before the pandemic to 54% during the pandemic, with poor children much less likely to attend in-person.
Kindergarten is not required in most states, and in normal times, parents sometimes "red-shirt" children who would be young for their kindergarten class to give them an extra year of developmental readiness. This year, even children nowhere near the cutoff age were held out of school because of health concerns and the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
It remains uncertain just how big kindergarten classes will be in the fall. The increase could be offset by parents who decide to wait an extra year to send 5-year-olds or opt for homeschooling because of safety concerns.
Regardless, education leaders say they expect to be addressing the effects of the pandemic for years.