INDIANA, USA — This week, Indiana hit an all-time high of COVID-19 hospitalizations. The state now ranks 45th in the nation for percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated — 58.6% of people here have gotten the vaccine.
In December, 13News reported between 81% and 96% of recent coronavirus patients requiring inpatient care received no COVID-19 vaccine or were only partially vaccinated. For example, IU Health reported 85% of inpatients were unvaccinated.
As omicron and delta surged, that continues to be the case throughout multiple hospital systems in Indiana.
Eskenazi Hospital
Eskenazi Hospital did not provide 13News with COVID specific patient information, but said 72.6% of all patients in the hospital are unvaccinated, while 23.6% are fully vaccinated and 0.94% were boosted.
However, Eskenazi did note 83% of vented COVID-19 patients were unvaccinated.
Ascension St. Vincent hospitals
Ascension St. Vincent hospitals reported similar numbers. In November and December, 91% of COVID inpatients were unvaccinated. Of COVID-19 deaths that occurred within that hospital system, 90% were unvaccinated.
Community Health Network
Within Community Health Network systems in Indiana, about 75% of the COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated.
Parkview Health
Currently, 71.4% of COVID-19 inpatients at Parkview Health hospitals are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Only 28.6% are fully vaccinated.
Union hospitals
At Union Hospital's Terre Haute campus, they have 56 patients in house with COVID, 12 of whom are vaccinated.
At Union Hospital Clinton in Vermillion County, there are seven patients in house with COVID, and none of them are vaccinated.
More specific data
Some hospital systems in Indiana have started to break down the specific numbers on which patients are vaccinated versus unvaccinated.
St. Joseph Health System
St. Joseph Health System in northern Indiana reported 56 of 76 patients in its ICUs were unvaccinated as of Jan. 12. An additional 16 were vaccinated and eligible for a booster but did not receive it, and three were vaccinated but not yet eligible for a booster.
Within that hospital system's ICUs, 11 were unvaccinated. The remaining two were eligible for a booster but did not receive it. Of the six patients on ventilators, five were unvaccinated, and the sixth person was eligible but had not received the booster.
Baptist Health
Throughout Baptist Health’s nine hospitals — one of which is in New Albany and the rest in Kentucky — there are 470 COVID inpatients as of Jan. 18. Of those, 301 were unvaccinated and 169 were vaccinated. Hospital officials counted 71 patients in ICU, with 51 of those not fully vaccinated.
Deaconess Health System
Deaconess Health System, which has hospitals throughout southern Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, reported 146 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 throughout its network. Of those, 106 were unvaccinated and 40 were vaccinated as of Jan. 19. Within the Deaconess ICUs, 34 patients were unvaccinated and 10 were vaccinated.
Of the 30 patients on ventilators, 27 were not vaccinated and three were vaccinated.
Staffing shortages
The state has also seen an increase in hospitals who reported critical staffing shortages.
A report released on Dec. 29 showed 23.6% of the state's hospitals — or 31 of 131 reporting hospitals — said they had faced a critical staffing shortage for that week.
One hundred Indiana hospitals reported no critical staffing shortages. Three did not report.
By Jan. 18 though, 44 of 87 hospitals in the state reported a critical staffing shortage, representing a little over half of all hospitals in Indiana.
