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.
Ball State requires unvaccinated students submit to pre-arrival COVID-19 testing
Ball State University won't require its students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to class this fall. However, the university is strongly encouraging it. Those who aren't vaccinated will be required to submit to pre-arrival coronavirus testing.
Before students return to Muncie on Aug. 23, they will need to fill out an online form attesting to their fully vaccinated status. Students will need to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to the start of school.
Those who can't or don't want to get vaccinated, don't have to. However, the university said they do have to submit to pre-arrival COVID-19 testing and show proof of a negative coronavirus test no more than seven days before the start of school.
The university said students who don't show proof of a negative test result or don't fill out the form saying they're vaccinated "will be subject to random COVID-19 testing as circumstances may require."
Microsoft to require COVID-19 vaccines for employees, guests beginning next month
Microsoft is the latest company to announce it will require employees to be vaccinated and it isn’t stopping there. It will also require any vendors or guests entering its U.S. worksites to be vaccinated.
Employees will have to be fully vaccinated in order to return to Microsoft's offices this fall. A spokesperson for the company said Microsoft will also require that any vendors and guests entering its U.S. worksites must show proof of vaccination beginning in September.
“Starting in September, we’ll also require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors, and any guests entering Microsoft buildings in the U.S., and will have an accommodation process in place for employees. We continue to review the situation on a local basis in each region/country/state where we work and will adjust dates and policies as needed,” the Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement.
Additionally, the company said that its buildings will not fully open until at least Oct. 4 based on ongoing discussions with health and data experts.
Pushback challenges vaccination requirements at US colleges
The quickly approaching fall semester has America's colleges under pressure to decide how far they should go to guard their campuses against the coronavirus while navigating legal and political questions and rising infection rates.
Hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide have told students in recent months they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before classes begin. Indiana University is one of those universities.
IU got the go-ahead to mandate coronavirus vaccinations for all students and staff on Monday. The university was taken to court over the mandate. However, a federal appeals court ruled Monday that IU has the right to do whatever is necessary to keep its students safe. James Bopp, the plaintiffs' lawyer, says he will ask the Supreme Court to consider the case.
Monday's ruling is the highest court decision regarding college immunization mandates.
California State University, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University joined the list of universities mandating vaccinations last week, citing concerns about the highly contagious delta variant.
Yet many more colleges have held off on vaccine mandates. In many Republican-led states, governments have banned such requirements, or school leaders face political pressure to limit their anti-virus actions.
ISDH update
The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 1,610 new cases of COVID-19. There was also an additional 13 deaths reported. That brings the state's death toll from COVID-19 to 13,596.
The state reported 4,116 more Hoosiers being fully vaccinated against coronavirus. That brings the number of people vaccinated in Indiana to nearly three million people.
Tyson Foods to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees
Tyson Foods is requiring its team members at U.S. office locations to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1, 2021, according to a press release.
All other team members are required to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1, 2021, subject to ongoing discussions with locations represented by unions.
This action makes Tyson Foods the largest U.S. food company to require COVID-19 vaccinations for its entire workforce. Almost half of Tyson Foods’ U.S. workforce has been vaccinated, and coronavirus infection rates among team members remain low.
To support efforts to fully vaccinate all team members, the company will also provide $200 to its frontline team members, subject to ongoing discussions with locations represented by unions.
Exceptions to the vaccination mandate will involve workers who seek medical or religious accommodation.
Carmel Market District reinstating mask mandate for employees, recommending for visitors
Giant Eagle, Inc. is updating its mask policy amid a surge in cases, largely due to the contagious delta variant.
The retailer, which also owns Market District and GetGo stores, is requiring all workers to a face mask, cloth face covering or face shield beginning Wednesday, Aug. 4, regardless of vaccination status.
Giant Eagle, Inc. also said it's strongly requesting guests abide by the updated mask policy beginning Friday, Aug. 6. Workers will be able to provide complimentary masks to anyone who doesn't have one when entering the store.
Target to require masks for employees beginning Tuesday in areas at higher COVID-19 risk
Target will once again require masks for employees and "strongly recommend" them for shoppers in some areas, the retail giant announced Monday.
The decision follows recent CDC guidelines around the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. The CDC recommended that even vaccinated people mask up indoors in counties where COVID-19 transmission levels are considered high or substantial.
Based on that guidance, Target said face coverings will be required for employees in those areas — and "strongly" recommended for shoppers — starting Tuesday.
In lower-risk areas, Target said it will continue to recommend masks for unvaccinated shoppers and employees. It also plans to continue other measures like sanitization and social distancing.
Areas considered to have high or substantial levels of COVID-19 spread can be found in the CDC's county-by-county online data tracker. The color-coded map uses orange to show substantial transmission and red to show high transmission.
This week's mobile vaccination clinics in central Indiana
Today-Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon:
Indianapolis Colts Training Camp
19000 Grand Park Blvd., Westfield, IN 46074
Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.:
Statehouse Market
430 Robert D. Orr Plaza, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Thursday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.:
Red Gold Orestes
120 E. Oak St., Orestes, IN 46063
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.:
Block Party at Flanner House
2424 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St., Indianapolis, IN 46208
Patients with an appointment at a state-hosted public vaccination site can get a free Uber or Lyft ride. Call 2-1-1 or (866) 211-9966 to receive a voucher to cover the cost of an Uber ride to and from your vaccination appointments. IU Health offers free Lyft rides to any vaccine site in the state. Call 1.888.IUHEALTH (888-484-3258) and choose option 9 if you need transportation to your vaccine appointment.
Graham 1st vaccinated senator to test positive for COVID-19
Sen. Lindsey Graham has tested positive for the coronavirus. The South Carolina Republican is the first senator to disclose a breakthrough infection after being vaccinated.
He says he is “very glad” he received the vaccine, without which his current symptoms would be “far worse.” The news has prompted several other lawmakers to get quick COVID-19 tests and report their status.
A handful of Senate colleagues spent part of the weekend working and socializing with Graham, who attended a gathering on Sen. Joe Manchin’s houseboat the evening that he first developed symptoms.
US hits 70% vaccination rate — a month late, amid a surge
The U.S. finally reached President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one COVID-19 shot in the arms of 70% of American adults. But it’s a month late and amid a fierce surge by the delta variant that is swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and mandatory vaccinations around the country.
Biden set a goal of reaching the 70% threshold by the Fourth of July. But that target was set well before the highly contagious delta variant enabled the virus to come storming back and undermined the assumptions that were used to arrive at that figure.
The U.S. still has not hit the administration’s other goal of fully vaccinating 165 million American adults by July 4. It is about 8.5 million short.
China orders mass testing in Wuhan as COVID outbreak spreads
Chinese authorities have announced mass coronavirus testing in Wuhan as an unusually wide series of COVID-19 outbreaks reached the city where the disease was first detected in late 2019.
Three cases were confirmed in the city of 11 million people on Monday, its first non-imported cases in more than a year. China has largely curbed COVID-19 at home after the initial outbreak that devastated Wuhan. Since then, authorities have controlled the disease whenever it pops up with quick lockdowns and mass testing.
The current outbreaks have spread much more widely than previous ones. Many of the cases have been identified as the highly contagious delta variant.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 35.1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 4 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been 613,679 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 198.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 4.23 million deaths. More than 4.1 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.
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