INDIANAPOLIS — Tuesday's latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
Muncie middle school closes until Nov. 30
A Muncie middle school will be closed through Thanksgiving as several staff members quarantine due to a case of coronavirus.
A staff member at Southside Middle School received confirmation of a positive COVID-19 test Tuesday night. After conducting contact tracing, school officials determined the entire front office staff at the school, as well as administrators, had been in close contact with the individual and needed to quarantine for 14 days.
The school is expected to be closed until Monday, Nov. 30 with all after-school activities canceled until it reopens.
Students at the middle school will move to e-learning for the rest of this week and next week leading up to Thanksgiving.
No other Muncie schools were affected by the positive case, school officials said.
State representative quarantines
An Indiana state representative is in quarantine after a sibling tested positive for COVID-19.
Rep. Robin Shackleford (D-Indianapolis) attended Organization Day at the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday, but left to get tested for coronavirus shortly after a news conference.
Shackleford said she had found out after Organization Day, the opening of the Indiana legislative session, and before the news conference, that her sister had tested positive for COVID-19. Shackleford had been on vacation last week with her sister, who is asymptomatic.
The legislator said she had no symptoms, but will be quarantining.
Governor quarantined
Gov. Eric Holcomb and First Lady Janet Holcomb are under quarantine after several members of the governor's security detail tested positive for COVID-19.
Holcomb and the first lady are considered close contacts and will be tested later this week, according to the governor's office.
The Indiana State Department of Health will perform the contact tracing for the Governor, First Lady and the security detail.
Dr. Box and Dr. Lindsay Weaver will lead Wednesday’s weekly COVID briefing and the governor will join by phone.
Fishers announces second testing site dedicated to school-related exposures
The Fishers Health Department announced a second COVID-19 testing site dedicated to prioritizing testing for school-related exposures for Hamilton Southeastern Schools and private schools in Fishers.
The site will open Monday, Nov. 23 for testing Monday through Saturday. Alternative hours will be in place for Thanksgiving week.
Residents may make an appointment by visiting fishers.in.us/testing and selecting "Testing for Fishers Residents."
The Fishers Health Department's secondary testing site is located at 8933 Technology Dr. in Fishers. Appointments can be scheduled beginning Monday, Nov. 23.
ISDH update
The Indiana State Department of Health reports 5,541 new cases for a total of 262,207 since the pandemic began.
The state also reported 84 more deaths from COVID-19 for a total of 4,770.
HSE PreK-6 students to go virtual Thursday
The HSE Board of School Trustees has approved a move to send students in Pre-K through sixth grade to virtual learning beginning Thursday, Nov. 19. They will stay virtual through Dec. 4.
The district said parents will receive more details through Skylert.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness released a statement following the announcement, saying he was unaware of the decision and is concerned about how some families will be able to handle the closures on such short notice.
The mayor's full statement:
"Neither my administration nor our health department were aware of HSE’s decision to move PK-6 education to 100% virtual learning. We have worked tirelessly to keep our schools open and have publicly stated that we believe schools should be open. In fact, today we intended to announce the opening of an additional COVID-19 testing site dedicated to any student or staff member at HSES that had been exposed. I am extremely concerned about the burden that this will cause parents with a mere 48-hour notice for closure. My commitment to our residents is that I will do all that we can to see our schools open again."
More than 1 million US children have tested positive for COVID-19
More than 1 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday.
As of last Thursday, a total of 1,039,464 children, including teens and infants, have had COVID-19. The report is a collaborative effort between the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, and both organizations use state health department data to track children's cases nationwide.
In the one-week period ending Nov. 12, there were 111,946 new cases in children, which is substantially larger than any previous week in the pandemic. However, pediatrics believe the total number of cases in children is higher because children's symptoms are often mild and they may not be tested.
The report broke down where child COVID-19 cases were on the rise geographically. Pediatrics are seeing a spike in cases in the Midwest and in Southern states. California, Florida, Georgie, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin have all reported more than 25,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 11.2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of 3:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 247,000 deaths and 4.24 million people recovered.
Worldwide, there have been more than 55 million confirmed cases with more than 1.32 million deaths and 35.36 million recoveries.
The real number of people infected by the virus around the world is believed to be much higher — perhaps 10 times higher in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — given testing limitations and the many mild cases that have gone unreported or unrecognized.
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.
US coronavirus hospitalizations hit new record, up 23% in one week
Hospitalizations in the U.S. from the coronavirus Monday were up 23% in the past week, while those in intensive care or on a ventilator increased at a faster pace. It highlights the concerns by hospital systems nationwide that they may be overrun, if they haven't already.
The COVID Tracking Project said a record-breaking 73,014 were in the hospital with COVID-19 Monday, up from 59,275 one week earlier.
ICU patients in that same time frame rose from 11,533 to 14,313, an increase of 24%. The number of those on a ventilator jumped from 3,110 to 4,157, a jump of 34%.
Fishers considers $500 fines for breaking health department orders aimed at slowing the pandemic
The city of Fishers is considering fines up to $500 for individuals and business who ignore pandemic restrictions.
The city council was set to vote on the ordinance Monday night, but it was suddenly pulled from the agenda, a spokesperson said, to allow more time for questions, concerns and public comment.
This is happening as new, tougher public health orders begin Wednesday. The Fishers Health Department issued new pandemic restrictions that are tougher than those issued by the state.
The public health order includes restrictions on social gatherings, special events, sporting events, bars and restaurants.