INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Wednesday'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.
Fishers Health Dept. offering vaccines, tests on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
The Fishers Health Department will offer vaccines and testing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The health department hopes that with many schools and businesses closed for the holiday, people will take advantage of this opportunity.
The Fishers Vaccination Clinic, located at 12520 E. 116th Street, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 17, for walk-ins and appointments. The clinic will also be open Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments can be made at fishers.in.us/vaccine.
The Fishers Testing Site, located at 4 Municipal Drive, will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for drive-thru testing and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. for priority testing for students and staff of K-12 Fishers-based schools. Tests can be scheduled at fishers.in.us/testing.
17% of US elementary school kids fully vaccinated 2 months after authorization
Distrust, misinformation and delays because of the holidays and bad weather have combined to produce what authorities say are alarmingly low COVID-19 vaccination rates in U.S. children ages 5 to 11.
As of Tuesday, just over 17% were fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots became available to the age group. While Vermont is at 48%, California is just shy of 19% and Mississippi is at only 5%.
Vaccinations among the elementary school set surged after the shots were introduced in the fall, but the numbers have crept up slowly since then, and omicron’s explosive spread appears to have had little effect.
Anderson Community Schools moves to e-learning
Anderson Community Schools became yet another Indiana school district to announce it was temporarily transitioning to e-learning on Wednesday.
The district's decision was made in response to a high number of COVID-19 related absences among bus drivers and staff.
Anderson Community Schools will have e-learning days on Thursday, Jan. 13 and Friday, Jan. 14. The district plans to resume with in-person instruction on Tuesday, Jan. 18, following the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Greenfield-Central H.S. moves to e-learning
Greenfield-Central Community Schools announced Wednesday they were moving high school students to virtual learning for the rest of the week due to a surge in COVID cases in recent days that has impacted both students and staff at the school.
The district announced the move would be for Thursday and Friday of this week and would only affect students at Greenfield-Central High School. The district said it is monitoring the impact of the virus at other schools, as well.
Some IPS middle, high schools move to remote learning through end of week
Indianapolis Public Schools will move to remote learning on Thursday, Jan. 13 and Friday, Jan. 14 at high schools and standalone middle schools.
IPS said the switch to remote learning is due to staffing limitations. The following schools will move to remote learning:
Middle schools
- Arlington Middle School
- Harshman Middle School
- Henry W. Longfellow Medical/STEM Middle School 28
- Northwest Middle School (including Newcomer)
High schools
- Arsenal Technical High School
- Crispus Attucks High School
- George Washington High School
- Shortridge High School
IPS said the decision was based on the number of staff absences, including COVID-19 isolations and quarantines at the middle and high school levels.
Heritage Christian canceling class Friday
Heritage Christian School is canceling class Friday as it deals with staffing shortages due to illness. It will not be an e-learning day for students.
The school had already planned for no class Monday to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In a note to parents, the school said the long weekend would allow "for additional preparation as we plan for a return to school next Tuesday."
Extracurricular activities will go on as scheduled Friday.
IDOH update
The Indiana Department of Health reports 3,932 more Hoosiers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Wednesday. The total number of people vaccinated in Indiana is now at 3,591,190.
There were 13,358 booster doses administered Tuesday, bringing the total number to 1,520,150.
IDOH reported 15, 091 new positive cases of the virus Wednesday. Of those, 15,067 were discovered on Tuesday — the second most in a single day. The state also reported 125 more deaths Wednesday. Those reported deaths date back to occurring Sept. 30, 2021.
Hospitalizations also continue to increase. On Tuesday, there were 3,488 COVID patients being treated in Indiana hospitals. That's the most of the pandemic. There are 8.9% of ICU beds available in the state. Of the ICU beds in use, 38% of them are being used by COVID-19 patients.
As of early Wednesday morning, .064% of fully vaccinated individuals in the state have been hospitalized with breakthrough cases of the virus.
Biden sending more COVID tests to schools to keep them open
The Biden administration is increasing federal support for COVID-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge.
The White House announced Wednesday that the administration is making a dedicated stream of 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests available to schools starting this month to ease supply shortages and promote the safe reopening of schools. That's on top of more than $10 billion devoted to school-based tests authorized in the COVID-19 relief law and about $130 billion earmarked in that law to keep kids in school.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said students need to be in their classrooms and the announcement shows the administration's commitment to helping schools stay open.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that our children have an opportunity to stay in school," Cardona said Wednesday on “CBS Mornings.” “That’s where they need to be, and we know we can do it safely.”
States are applying to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the tests, Cardona said, adding that he expected distribution to begin as early as next week.
Indiana governor says COVID-19 remains state challenge
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb extolled the state's economic expansion amid the COVID-19 pandemic during the annual State of the State speech while saying many challenges remain from the ongoing health crisis.
Holcomb's speech Tuesday night before lawmakers avoided topics where he's facing disagreements with fellow Republicans who are pushing one proposal that would force businesses to allow exemptions from any workplace COVID-19 vaccination requirements and another bill seeking broad business and individual tax cuts.
Much of the governor's address focused on touting the state's economy. But he was most personal when discussing the pandemic, describing Indiana's hospitals as "under siege" and urging more people to get vaccinated.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 62.31 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 4:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 842,300 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 313.62 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 5.50 million deaths and more than 9.50 billion vaccine doses 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.
Pfizer CEO says omicron COVID vaccine will be ready by March
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Monday that a COVID-19 vaccine that specifically targets the omicron variant will soon be ready.
During an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Bourla said the vaccine "will be ready in March” and his company has already begun manufacturing doses.
Pfizer's CEO acknowledged that he doesn't know whether the omicron-specific vaccine will be needed or how it would be used, but if there's a need, there will be doses ready once it's approved.
Moderna's CEO also said Monday their company is working on a booster for the fall that targets the omicron variant.
Home COVID tests to be covered by insurance starting Saturday
Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. The Biden administration announced the change Monday as it looks to lower costs and make testing for the virus more convenient amid rising frustrations.
Under the new policy, first detailed to the Associated Press, Americans will be able to either purchase home testing kits for free under their insurance or submit receipts for the tests for reimbursement, up to the monthly per-person limit. A family of four, for instance, could be reimbursed for up to 32 tests per month. PCR tests and rapid tests ordered or administered by a health provider will continue to be fully covered by insurance with no limit.
President Joe Biden faced criticism over the holiday season for a shortage of at-home rapid tests as Americans traveled to see family amid the surge in cases from the more transmissible omicron variant. Now, the administration is working to make COVID-19 home tests more accessible, both by increasing supply and bringing down costs.
Later this month, the federal government will launch a website to begin making 500 million at-home COVID-19 tests available via mail. The administration also is scaling up emergency rapid-testing sites in areas experiencing the greatest surges in cases.
MSD Pike Township to continue remote instruction through Wednesday
Pike Township schools announced early Monday that the district would continue remote instruction through Wednesday due to bus driver illness and isolations.
The Early Learning Center will be open and on its normal schedule.
The district will consider the possible return to in-person instruction on Thursday.
Fishers Health Department offering COVID-19 testing for students
The Fishers Health Department announced it will open priority rapid COVID-19 testing appointments for students and staff of Fishers-based schools beginning Monday, Jan. 10.
The department said the measure is an effort to help ensure schools remain open and in-person while keeping students and staff safe.
The testing will take place at the existing drive-thru location, located at 3 Municipal Drive in Fishers.
Kindergarten through grade 12 Fishers-based school staff and children who want a PCR test must register online. The department said they're only able to offer rapid tests to people 18 and younger, and 50 and older.
Registration information and testing hours can be found at this link.
Hours for the school-based testing are as follows:
- Monday: 7:30-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.
- Tuesday: 7:30-9 a.m. and 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Wednesday: 7:30-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.
- Thursday: 7:30-9 a.m. and 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Friday: 7:30-9 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.
- Saturday: Noon-2 p.m.
Warren Township students in grades 5-12 move to e-learning for entire week
Some students in the MSD of Warren Township will continue e-learning for a week.
Superintendent Dr. Tim Hanson originally notified families last week that students in grades 5 through 12 will have e-learning days Friday, Jan. 7 and Monday, Jan. 10 due to a "large number of staffing needs" that arose from positive COVID cases and other illnesses.
On Sunday, Hanson said students in grades 5 through 12 will learn virtually through Friday, Jan. 14.
According to Hanson, COVID-19 cases are impacting staff in the intermediate middle schools in the district, as well as Warren Central High School. The transportation department has also been affected.
The change does not affect students in kindergarten through fourth grade.