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.
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.
FDA panel recommends updating COVID booster shots to fight variants this fall
At least some U.S. adults may get updated COVID-19 shots this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak booster doses to better match the most recent virus variants.
Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration wrestled with how to modify doses now when there's no way to know how the rapidly mutating virus will evolve by fall — especially since people who get today's recommended boosters remain strongly protected against COVID-19's worst outcomes.
Ultimately the FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the super-contagious omicron variant, to be ready for an anticipated fall booster campaign.
The FDA will have to decide the exact recipe, but expect a combination shot that adds protection against either omicron or some of its newer relatives to the original vaccine.
It's not clear who would be offered a tweaked booster — they might be urged only for older adults or those at high risk from the virus. But the FDA is expected to decide on the recipe change within days, and then, Pfizer and Moderna will have to seek authorization for the appropriately updated doses, time for health authorities to settle on a fall strategy.
CDC map shows 4 southern Indiana counties at 'high risk' of spreading COVID-19
On Thursday, June 30, 2022, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison and Washington counties — all in southern Indiana — were listed on the CDC data map as having a "high" community risk of spreading COVID-19, while 15 other counties (Bartholomew, Blackford, Clark, Decatur, Dubois, Henry, Fountain, Jackson, Jennings, Knox, Lawrence, Orange, Pike, Shelby and Warrick) were listed as "medium" risks.
In states bordering Indiana, Cook County (Chicago) in Illinois was in the high risk category on Thursday. The majority of counties in Illinois are listed as either medium or high risk.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 87.41 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 5:15 a.m. ET Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 1.017 million deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 546.39 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 6.33 million deaths and more than 11.73 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.
COVID-19 vaccines saved nearly 20 million lives worldwide, scientists say
Nearly 20 million lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year, but even more deaths could have been prevented if international targets for the shots had been reached, researchers reported Thursday.
The researchers used data from 185 countries to estimate that vaccines prevented 4.2 million COVID-19 deaths in India, 1.9 million in the United States, 1 million in Brazil, 631,000 in France and 507,000 in the United Kingdom.
An additional 600,000 deaths would have been prevented if the World Health Organization target of 40% vaccination coverage by the end of 2021 had been met, according to the study published Thursday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The main finding — 19.8 million COVID-19 deaths were prevented — is based on estimates of how many more deaths than usual occurred during the time period. Using only reported COVID-19 deaths, the same model yielded 14.4 million deaths averted by vaccines.
Hoosier kids, teens below national average for COVID-19 vaccines
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of vaccinated kids ages 5-17 in Indiana falls well below the rate across the country.
About 20% of Indiana kids ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated, compared to about 30% nationwide. For Hoosier kids ages 12-17, about 43% are fully vaccinated, compared to about 60% nationwide.
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.
People who have difficulty getting online or need help placing an order can call 1-800-232-0233 for assistance.
The third round brings to 16 the total number of free tests available to each U.S. household since the program started earlier this year. Households were eligible to receive four tests during each of two earlier rounds of ordering through the website.
2nd COVID-19 booster shot available to Hoosiers 50 and up
The Indiana Department of Health announced that Hoosiers age 50 and older, as well as those 12 and older with weakened immune systems, are now eligible to receive a second mRNA COVID-19 booster shot at least four months after their first booster dose.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the extra shot as an option but stopped short of urging that those eligible rush out and get it right away.
The IDOH is advising vaccine providers to begin administering second boosters of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to people who qualify.
The CDC also says adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least four months ago may now receive a second booster dose of either mRNA vaccine.
You can find a vaccine location at ourshot.in.gov or by calling Indiana 211 (866-211-9966). Appointments are recommended, but many sites do accept walk-ins.