INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Thursday'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 5 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.
3 US men's hockey players test positive for COVID at Olympics
The U.S. men’s hockey team has held its first pre-Olympic practice in Beijing without two top defenseman and a veteran forward because they tested positive for the coronavirus.
Defenseman Jake Sanderson remains in Los Angeles. Defenseman Steven Kampfer and forward Andy Miele are isolating in the Olympic Village in Beijing.
USA Hockey hopes all three players will be available for the tournament, which begins Wednesday. The U.S. opens against host China on Thursday.
IDOH update
The Indiana Department of Health reported 6,615 new positive cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday. There have been 1,642,625 positive cases in Indiana since the start of the pandemic.
The state reported an additional 57 people died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 20,856.
IDOH reported 2,102 more Hoosiers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Thursday. The total number of people vaccinated in Indiana is now at 3,650,268.
There were 2,720 booster doses administered Wednesday, bringing the total number to 1,676,611.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 75.68 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 4 a.m. Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 894,310 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 384.93 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 5.70 million deaths and more than 10.15 billion vaccine doses administered.
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.
Vaccine, testing clinics closing, cutting back in preparation for winter storm
Statewide:
The Indiana Department of Health announced Thursday that all state-run mobile clinics will be closed Friday, Feb. 4. This includes the clinic across from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
State-run mobile clinics closed Wednesday at 5 p.m. and are closed all day on Thursday due to the winter storm.
Hamilton County:
To prepare for the impending winter storm, the Hamilton County Health Department decided to make the following changes to its hours at its testing and vaccination clinics.
- The vaccination site at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds in Noblesville will be closed all day Wednesday through Friday with operations resuming Monday.
- The testing site at the Hamilton County Health Department will close at 1 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed through the weekend, with operations resuming Monday.
The health department said people with appointments will receive a call to reschedule.
The Fishers Health Department has also made changes to its hours ahead of the storm.
The Fishers testing and mass vaccination site will be open during its normal hours on Wednesday and they will be closed Thursday. The health department has not yet made a decision on whether it will close the site on Friday, too.
The department will reach out to anyone with appointments on Thursday to reschedule, or you can reschedule by calling the Fishers COVID Hotline at 317-595-3211. If you have an appointment scheduled, you will receive a cancellation notice from IDOH via text or email.
Boone County:
The Boone County Health Department posted on Facebook saying the county is closing both its testing and vaccine clinics on Wednesday and Thursday in anticipation of the upcoming winter storm.
Madison County:
The Madison County Health Department said all testing and vaccination is canceled for this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at MCHD in anticipation of inclement weather. This is for both mobile unit and health department clinics.
Marion County:
As the winter storm and changing weather conditions continue to affect central Indiana, the Marion County Public Health Department said it will remain closed on Friday, Feb. 4.
This closure affects all offices and clinics run by the health department, including Vital Records, Bell Flower Clinic, ACTION Health Center, all District Health Office locations, and all COVID-19 vaccine and testing locations operated by MCPHD.
Anyone who has an appointment scheduled for COVID-19 vaccine or testing, or other clinic services, on Friday, Feb. 4 at a site operated by MCPHD will be contacted by the health department to reschedule their visit.
Pfizer asks FDA to allow low-dose COVID-19 shots for kids under 5
Pfizer on Tuesday asked the U.S. to authorize extra-low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, potentially opening the way for the very youngest Americans to start receiving shots as early as March.
In an extraordinary move, the Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply earlier than the companies had planned.
The nation’s 19 million children under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Many parents have been pushing for an expansion of shots to toddlers and preschoolers, especially as the omicron wave sent record numbers of youngsters to the hospital.
If the FDA agrees, Pfizer shots containing just one-tenth of the dose given to adults could be dispensed to children as young as 6 months. Pfizer said Tuesday it had started submitting its data to the FDA and expects to complete the process in a few days.
An open question is how many shots those youngsters will need. Pfizer is testing three shots after two of the extra-low doses turned out to be strong enough for babies but not for preschoolers, and the final data from the study isn’t expected until late March.
That means the FDA may consider whether to authorize two shots for now, with potentially a third shot being cleared later if the study supports it.
Moderna gets full US approval for its COVID-19 vaccine
Moderna says U.S. health regulators have given full approval to its COVID-19 vaccine after reviewing additional data on its safety and effectiveness.
The decision Monday by the Food and Drug Administration comes after many tens of millions of Americans have already received the shot under its original emergency authorization.
Full approval means the FDA has completed the same rigorous, time-consuming review for Moderna’s shot as dozens of other long-established vaccines.
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine received full approval last summer.
Public health advocates initially hoped the distinction would boost public confidence in the shots, but there was no discernable bump in vaccinations after the Pfizer decision.
