INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Tuesday'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.
Milwaukee's Summerfest: COVID vaccine or negative test required to attend
The show will go on at Milwaukee's big summer music party, but only for those who have been vaccinated or taken a test to prove they don't have COVID.
Organizers at Summerfest released a revised entry protocol policy Tuesday announcing that those attending the lakeside festival will need proof of vaccination or negative results from a COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of attending. The Summerfest website says either a PCR or rapid test is acceptable.
Nearly 94,000 children were diagnosed with COVID-19 last week as delta variant surges
New cases of COVID-19 in children continue to increase as the delta variant surges across the country. Almost 94,000 new pediatric cases were reported last week, according to the latest data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association
In Indianapolis, doctors at Riley Hospital for Children have noticed the rise in coronavirus cases. Last week, the team at Riley treated at least 36 children with COVID-19. The majority of them were under 12 and not eligible for the shot.
The increase in pediatric cases is not just happening in Indiana.
Experts say this is a "continuing substantial increase" in cases that is happening nationwide.
Two weeks ago 72,000 kids were diagnosed with COVID-19 and the week before that about 32,000 cases were reported, which is an 84 percent jump that the American Academy of Pediatrics called “substantial.”
Chicago travel advisory
Indiana is one of 12 states Chicago added to its travel advisory Tuesday.
That means unvaccinated people visiting the city from those states should test negative for COVID-19 or quarantine upon arrival.
There are 31 states now on Chicago's travel advisory.
ISDH update
The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 27 more deaths from COVID-19 and 2,234 new cases.
The state also reported 4,086 more Hoosiers are fully vaccinated against coronavirus.
Jeffersonville High School cancels football scrimmage, game due to COVID-19
Jeffersonville High School in southern Indiana has canceled its varsity football scrimmage scheduled for Friday, Aug. 13 and its first game of the season Aug. 20 due to players quarantining.
Greater Clark County Schools started classes July 28. While no mask mandate was in effect at the start of the school year, GCCS officials said they will require masks be worn in their buildings beginning Aug. 9 as the district hit "orange status."
Clark County has seen increased COVID cases as the delta variant continues to spread, recording a 7-day positivity rate around 11.18%.
Instead of facing Bell County during the first week of competition, Jeffersonville will instead host rival Seymour for its first game Friday, Aug. 27.
Masks recommended indoors in all 92 Indiana counties, according to CDC guidance
Everyone in Indiana is recommended to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fifteen Indiana counties — Brown, Delaware, Elkhart, Fayette, Jasper, Jay, Lake, LaPorte, Martin, Monroe, Newton, Porter, Randolph, St. Joseph and Wayne — are seeing substantial community transmission over the last seven days, while state's other 77 counties are experiencing high transmission.
The agency's online data tracker features a color-coded interactive map that shows different levels of community transmission. In the color-coded map, orange reflects substantial community transmission and red indicates high transmission.
The CDC said even vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors in areas with substantial or high amounts of community transmission of COVID-19.
Substantial transmission means there's been 50-100 cases per 100,000 over a 7-day period and high transmission means an area has seen more than 100 cases per 100,000 over a 7-day period, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky explained.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 35.94 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 3:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 617,000 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 203.41 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 4.3 million deaths. More than 4.45 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.
7 countries added to CDC list to 'avoid travel' due to COVID-19
France, Iceland and Israel have been added to the list of dozens of countries the top U.S. health agency is warning Americans to avoid due to COVID-19. For those who must travel to these countries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging them to make sure they are fully vaccinated first.
These countries have been added to the Level 4 (Very High) risk level:
- Aruba
- Eswatini
- France
- French Polynesia
- Iceland
- Israel
- Thailand
On the alerts for these nations, the CDC warns that "even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants" and that travelers should still wear a mask and stay six feet apart from others if traveling there.
Dozens of other nations were already on the list that Americans are urged to avoid, which can be seen on the CDC website.
Fake COVID-19 vaccine cards online worry college officials
As the delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the United States, a growing number of colleges and universities are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for students to attend in-person classes. But the new mandate has opened the door for those opposed to getting the vaccine to cheat the system, according to interviews with students, education and law enforcement officials.
Across the internet, a cottage industry has sprung up to accommodate people who say they won't get vaccinated for either personal or religious reasons.
An Instagram account with the username "vaccinationcards" sells laminated COVID-19 vaccination cards for $25 each. A user on the encrypted messaging app, Telegram, offers "COVID-19 Vaccine Cards Certificates," for as much as $200 apiece.
An increasing number of inquiries to these sites and similar ones appear to be from those who are trying to get fake vaccination cards for college.
According to a tally by The Chronicle of Higher Education, at least 675 colleges and universities now require proof of COVID-19 inoculations. The process to confirm vaccination at many schools can be as simple as uploading a picture of the vaccine card to the student's portal.