INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Thursday'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 all Hoosiers through the Indiana Department of Health. This story will be updated over the course of the day with more news on the COVID-19 pandemic.
CDC map shows 19 Indiana counties at 'high risk' of spreading COVID-19
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, Cass, Clark, Clay, Floyd, Gibson, Greene, Harrison, Howard, Jasper, Montgomery, Owen, Posey, Randolph, Scott, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo and Warrick counties were listed on the CDC data map as having a "high" community risk of spreading COVID-19, while 38 more Indiana counties were listed as "medium" risks.
Multiple counties in states bordering Indiana were in the high-risk category on Thursday.
Over the past seven days, Indiana recorded 12,207 new cases and 41 deaths.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 90.04 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 4:15 a.m. ET Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 1.025 million deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 566.80 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 6.38 million deaths and more than 11.85 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.
CDC endorses more traditional Novavax COVID shot for adults
U.S. adults who haven’t gotten any COVID-19 shots yet should consider a new option from Novavax — a more traditional kind of vaccine, health officials said Tuesday.
Regulators authorized the nation’s first so-called protein vaccine against COVID-19 last week, but the final hurdle was a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“If you have been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine built on a different technology than those previously available, now is the time to join the millions of Americans who have been vaccinated,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC's director, said in a statement, endorsing an earlier decision from an influential advisory panel.
Most Americans have gotten at least their primary COVID-19 vaccinations by now, but CDC officials said between 26 million and 37 million adults haven’t had a single dose — the population that Novavax, for now, will be targeting.
What to know about BA.5, BA.4 variant symptoms
As Americans ramp up their summer travels without their masks, two COVID-19 subvariants are causing a surge in cases.
BA.5, which accounts for 65% of cases, and BA.4, which is 16% of cases, are omicron's smarter cousins. The two subvariants are evading antibodies and even vaccine protections, as they are one of the most contagious versions of the virus yet.
"It knows how to trick our immune system," said TEGNA's medical expert Dr. Payal Kohli.
Since the subvariants derived from the original omicron variant, symptoms fall under the same umbrella. However, symptoms still vary depending on vaccination status, age, prior infection, medication and other factors, said Kohli.
Data collected from the Zoe app in the UK show most symptoms mimic the common cold, with sore throats and runny noses. Kohli said a significant change in symptoms for the subvariants are heightened amounts of sneezing, something not seen in earlier forms of the COVID-19 variant.
The subvariants responsible for the latest surge pose a different threat as it also has higher rates of reinfection.
White House urges caution on COVID variants, pushes boosters
The Biden administration is calling on people to exercise renewed caution about COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of getting booster shots for those who are eligible and wearing masks indoors as two new highly transmissible variants are spreading rapidly across the country.
The new variants, labeled BA.4 and BA.5, are offshoots of the omicron strain that has been responsible for nearly all of the virus spread in the U.S. and are even more contagious than their predecessors. White House doctors stressed the importance of getting booster doses, even if you have recently been infected.
“Currently, many Americans are under-vaccinated, meaning they are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Staying up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines provides the best protection against severe outcomes.”
Walensky said the U.S. has seen a doubling in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since April, reflecting the spread of the new subvariants, though deaths have remained steady at around 300 per day.
Pharmacists can now prescribe Pfizer's COVID-19 pill
Pharmacists can prescribe the leading COVID-19 pill directly to patients under a new U.S. policy announced recently that's intended to expand use of Pfizer's drug Paxlovid.
The Food and Drug Administration said pharmacists can begin screening patients to see if they are eligible for Paxlovid and then prescribe the medication, which has been shown to curb the worst effects of COVID-19. Previously, only physicians could prescribe the antiviral drug.
Biden administration officials have expressed frustration that several hundred Americans continue to die of COVID-19 daily, despite the availability of vaccines and treatments.
Administration officials have been working for months to increase access to Paxlovid, opening thousands of sites where patients who test positive can fill a prescription for Paxlovid. The FDA change will make thousands more pharmacies eligible to quickly prescribe and dispense the pill, which must be used early to be effective.
Parents can schedule vaccine appointments for young children
The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) announced that the public can now schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children through age 5 by visiting www.ourshot.in.gov.
Appointments are available for individuals seeking the Moderna vaccine for children ages 6 months through 5 years and the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 6 months through 4 years on the state's scheduling platform.
IDOH has updated its map at www.ourshot.in.gov to show sites that offer vaccines for the youngest age group.
Appointments are recommended due to vaccine and provider availability. Individuals also can call 211 for assistance or contact their child’s healthcare provider to determine if they are offering vaccines.
Visit the Indiana Department of Health at www.health.in.gov for important health and safety information.
Riley Children's Health offering COVID-19 vaccines
Riley Children's Health has the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old.
Appointments are required and can be made by calling 211.
Riley Physicians at IU Health West:
- Mondays and Thursdays: 5 p.m.-8:20 p.m.
- Saturdays: 8 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
- 1111 Ronald Reagan Pkwy, Avon
Riley Physicians at IU Health North:
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 5 p.m.-8:20 p.m.
- Saturdays: 8 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
- 11700 N. Meridian Street, Carmel
Riley Physicians at East Washington
- Tuesdays and Fridays: 5 p.m.-8:20 p.m.
- Saturdays: 8 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
- 9650 Washington St #245, Indianapolis
Riley Physicians at Methodist Medical Plaza South
- Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5 p.m.-8:20 p.m.
- Saturdays: 8 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
- 8820 S Meridian St Suite 125, Indianapolis
Riley Physicians at Georgetown
- Tuesdays and Fridays: 5 p.m.-8:20 p.m.
- Saturdays: 8 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
- 4880 Century Plaza Rd Suite 250, Indianapolis
MCPHD offering COVID vaccine for kids 6 months to 4 years old
The Marion County Public Health Department is offering COVID-19 vaccinations to children ages 6 months to 4 years old at its district health offices and ACTION Health Center.
To see the schedule for each location, click here. Vaccinations are by appointment only. Call the specific location to make an appointment, or call MCPHD's Immunization Program at 317-221-2122.
White House offering additional 8 free COVID-19 tests to public
The government website for people to request free COVID-19 at-home tests from the U.S. government is now accepting a third round of orders.
The White House recently announced that U.S. households can request an additional eight free at-home tests to be shipped by the U.S. Postal Service.
President Joe Biden committed in January to making 1 billion tests available to the public free of charge, including 500 million available through covidtests.gov. But just 350 million of the amount available for ordering online have been shipped to date to addresses across the continental U.S., its territories and overseas military bases, the White House said.