INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Saturday'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 5 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.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 79.25 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 6 a.m. Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 958,140 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 443.89 million confirmed coronavirus cases with 5.99 million deaths and more than 10.56 billion vaccine doses administered.
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.
Big cities drop more COVID-19 measures in push for normalcy
New York City and Los Angeles are lifting some of their strictest COVID-19 prevention measures as officials in big cities around the U.S. push for a return to normalcy after two grueling years of the pandemic.
New York City, which has had the nation’s toughest COVID-19 safety protocols, will do away with several of its mandates next week, including required masking in public schools and vaccination requirements at restaurants, entertainment and cultural venues, the mayor announced Friday.
On the other side of the country, residents in Los Angeles County were no longer required as of Friday to wear masks at restaurants, bars, gyms, shops and other businesses.
Illinois lifted face mask requirements for many indoor spaces on Monday, and Boston will lift similar rules on Saturday. Chicago stopped requiring proof of vaccination to dine in restaurants.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that most Americans can now safely take a break from wearing masks, including students.
How to order more free COVID-19 test kits from US government
Starting next week, the U.S. government will allow Americans to order another round of free at-home COVID-19 tests.
The second round of orders will begin next week allowing two separate orders of an additional four tests, eight tests total, to be placed.
President Joe Biden announced the second round of orders will begin during Tuesday's State of the Union address.
During the first round of orders back in January, 500,00 tests were available, but nearly half of those tests remain unclaimed.
To order the at-home tests, you can visit this USPS website starting next week and fill out the required information. All orders will ship completely free.
As vaccine demand falls, states are left with huge stockpile
As demand to get COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. collapses in many areas, states are scrambling to use stockpiles of doses before they expire and have to be added to the millions that have already gone to waste.
From some of the least vaccinated states, like Indiana and North Dakota, to some of the most vaccinated states, like New Jersey and Vermont, public health departments are shuffling doses around the state in the hopes of finding providers that can use them.
State health departments told The Associated Press they have tracked millions of doses that went to waste.
The average number of Americans getting their first shot is down to about 70,000 a day, the lowest point since the U.S. vaccination campaign began in December 2020. About 76% of the U.S. population has received at least one shot and roughly 65% of all Americans are fully vaccinated.