INDIANAPOLIS — 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 select groups through Indiana State Department of Health. This story will be updated over the course of the day with more news on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lilly therapy approved
A combination therapy developed by Eli Lilly to treat COVID-19 patients has received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
The use of bamlanivimab and etesevimab together is administered to recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients with a mild to moderate case of the virus who are at higher risk to develop a more severe form of COVID-19.
Lilly plans to manufacture more than 250,000 doses by the end of the fiscal quarter in March and up to a million doses by the middle of the year.
Walmart vaccinations
Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacies will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, Feb. 12.
Eligible customers can schedule a vaccine appointment using the Walmart and Sam’s Club websites once appointments are available. People making an appointment would need to meet Indiana guidelines, which are for people 65 and older at this point.
The federal vaccine allocation to the stores will be focused on underserved communities with limited access to healthcare.
ISDH daily update
The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 1,225 more cases of COVID-19 and 67 additional deaths. Indiana has recorded a total of 641,874 positive cases and 11,526 confirmed deaths.
The seven-day positivity rate between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2 was 6.4 percent for all tests and 14.5 percent for unique individuals. There have been more than 7.3 million tests administered in the state since the start of the pandemic.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 27.09 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 3:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 465,000 deaths in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 106.51 million confirmed cases with more than 2.32 million deaths and 59.44 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.
New variants raise worry about COVID-19 virus reinfections
Evidence is mounting that having COVID-19 may not protect against getting infected again with some of the new variants. People also can get second infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus if they mounted a weak defense the first time, new research suggests.
How long immunity lasts from natural infection is one of the big questions in the pandemic. Scientists still think reinfections are fairly rare and usually less serious than initial ones, but recent developments around the world have raised concerns.
In South Africa, a vaccine study found new infections with a variant in 2% of people who previously had an earlier version of the virus.
In Brazil, several similar cases were documented with a new variant there. Researchers are exploring whether reinfections help explain a recent surge in the city of Manaus, where three-fourths of residents were thought to have been previously infected.
In the United States, a study found that 10% of Marine recruits who had evidence of prior infection and repeatedly tested negative before starting basic training were later infected again. That work was done before the new variants began to spread, said one study leader, Dr. Stuart Sealfon of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Reinfections pose a public health concern, not just a personal one. Even in cases where reinfection causes no symptoms or just mild ones, people might still spread the virus. That's why health officials are urging vaccination as a longer-term solution and encouraging people to wear masks, keep physical distance and wash their hands frequently.
Buttigieg to quarantine after security agent gets COVID-19
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will quarantine for 14 days after a member of his security detail tested positive Monday for the coronavirus.
The agent had been “in close contact” with Buttigieg, including Monday morning prior to the agent’s positive result, the Transportation Department said in a statement. Buttigieg has since tested negative and has had no symptoms.
“Secretary Buttigieg will take all necessary steps to ensure there is no spread, including quarantining for a period of 14 days, and will continue to follow all other CDC guidelines,” said Laura Schiller, the department’s chief of staff, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “He received the first dose of the vaccination in recent weeks, and will receive the second dose when his quarantine is completed.”
Following contact tracing protocols, the department said it determined that one other person in the security detail had also been in “close contact” with the agent and will also quarantine for 14 days.