INDIANAPOLIS — 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 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.
Johnson County library branches reopen for browsing Thursday
Johnson County residents will once again be able to browse through books in person beginning Thursday.
The buildings will be open from Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The JCPL-to-Your-Door delivery service and the JCPL-to-Go curbside pickup service will still be available.
If Johnson County returns to orange in both the Weekly 2-Metric Score and the Advisory Level on Feb. 11 as expected, branches will return to their regular hours of operation.
State update on vaccinations
Gov. Eric Holcomb and state leaders provided an update on the COVID-19 response and vaccination effort.
Holcomb said the state is seeing good signs as the positivity rate and hospitalizations are going down.
The latest executive order for Feb. 1 - Feb. 28 adjusts crowd levels at social gatherings and events depending on a county's color level:
- Red or orange – May not exceed 25 percent capacity
- Yellow – May not exceed 50 percent capacity
- Blue – May be 100 percent capacity
- With appropriate social distancing, face coverings and other safety precautions.
Vaccination supply and registration
The state was notified by the federal government that it will receive an additional 16 percent of vaccine (13,000 extra doses) per week. Around 477,000 Hoosiers have received one dose of vaccine and 113,000 have received both doses.
In the past week, Meijer, Kroger and Walmart have started or plan to start offering the vaccine at select stores around the state. Meijer and Kroger will use their own sign-up systems. Walmart will use the state system through ourshot.in.gov and by calling 211.
The state hopes to be able to open vaccinations up to Hoosiers 65 and older in the next week. Currently vaccinations are for those 70 and older in Indiana.
Here is a look at the current vaccination rates in Indiana:
- Age 80+: 51 percent
- Age 70+: 57 percent
- Health care workers & first responders: 60 percent
Indiana National Guard support
The Indiana National Guard will begin living its support role in long-term care facilities around Jan. 31. Some Guardsmen could leave in the days before or days after that date. By Feb. 22, 80 percent of Guardsmen will be out of the facilities and all of them by March 15.
ISDH update
The state is reporting 2,260 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 617,176 since the pandemic began.
There were also an additional 40 deaths bringing the death toll in Indiana to 9,470.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 25.43 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 2:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 425,000 deaths in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 100.27 million confirmed cases with more than 2.15 million deaths and 55.38 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.
Biden administration to boost COVID-19 vaccine supply amid shortages
The Biden administration is boosting purchases of coronavirus vaccines to deliver enough to protect 300 million Americans by the end of the summer, as it surges deliveries to states for the next three weeks following complaints of shortages and inconsistent supplies.
President Joe Biden announced the surge in deliveries to states Tuesday afternoon, along with the news that the federal government is purchasing an additional 100 million doses each of the two approved coronavirus vaccines. With existing purchases, the White House expects to be able to deliver enough of the two-dose regimens to states to vaccinate 300 million people.
The administration has also promised more openness and said it will hold news briefings three times a week, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 27, about the outbreak that has killed over 420,000 Americans.
Hamilton County Health Department answer vaccine questions in virtual town hall
The Hamilton County Health Department is hosting a virtual town hall Wednesday, Jan. 27 to provide the latest information about the vaccine, answer questions about eligibility and offer tips on securing appointment times.
"As we roll out the vaccine, we understand there is a great deal of excitement, mixed with some degree of uncertainty around the process and the vaccine itself," said HCHD Interim Administrator Jason LeMaster. "Our goal here is to help the community better understand the process and to answer any questions they may have."
The virtual town hall is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Click here to participate in the live event.
Global confirmed coronavirus cases now over 100 million
The world has now reached a grim new milestone in the fight against COVID-19 as confirmed cases of coronavirus infection globally has now exceeded the 100 million mark.
In mid-January, Johns Hopkins University reported that the world had surpassed the 2 million mark in COVID-19 deaths globally, a number that experts say could actually be much larger.