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 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.
US nears 1 million COVID deaths as Biden co-hosts 2nd global summit
President Joe Biden will appeal for a renewed international commitment to attacking COVID-19 as he convenes a second virtual summit on the pandemic and marks “a tragic milestone" as the U.S. approaches 1 million deaths.
“As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow," Biden said in a statement Thursday. "To heal, we must remember. We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible.”
The virus has killed more than 995,000 people in the U.S. and at least 6.2 million people globally, according to figures kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
The president called on Congress to provide more funding for testing, vaccines and treatments, something lawmakers have been unwilling to deliver so far.
The lack of funding — Biden has requested another $22.5 billion of what he calls critically needed money — is a reflection of faltering resolve at home that jeopardizes the global response to the pandemic.
Eight months after he used the first such summit to announce an ambitious pledge to donate 1.2 billion vaccine doses to the world, the urgency of the U.S. and other nations to respond has waned.
Momentum on vaccinations and treatments has faded even as more infectious variants rise and billions of people across the globe remain unprotected.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 82.22 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 5:40 a.m. ET Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 998,990 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 519.48 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 6.25 million deaths and more than 11.39 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.
North Korea confirms 1st COVID outbreak, Kim orders lockdown
North Korea imposed a nationwide lockdown Thursday to control its first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak after holding for more than two years to a widely doubted claim of a perfect record keeping out the virus that has spread to nearly every place in the world.
The outbreak forced leader Kim Jong Un to wear a mask in public, likely for the first time since the start of the pandemic, but the scale of transmissions inside North Korea wasn't immediately known. A failure to slow infections could have serious consequences because the country has a poor health care system and its 26 million people are believed to be mostly unvaccinated. Some experts say North Korea, by its rare admission of an outbreak, may be seeking outside aid.
The official Korean Central News Agency said tests of samples collected Sunday from an unspecified number of people with fevers in the capital, Pyongyang, confirmed they were infected with the omicron variant.
In response, Kim called at a ruling party Politburo meeting for a thorough lockdown of cities and counties and said workplaces should be isolated by units to block the virus from spreading. He urged health workers to step up disinfection efforts at workplaces and homes and mobilize reserve medical supplies.
Kim said it was crucial to control transmissions and eliminate the infection source as fast as possible, while also easing inconveniences to the public caused by the virus controls. He insisted the country will overcome the outbreak because its government and people are “united as one.”
Vaccine developer hid quality control problems from FDA, House report concludes
A Congressional investigation has concluded that a prominent vaccine development company misled federal oversight agencies on the capabilities of a Baltimore plant, ultimately destroying hundreds of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines as a result of the company's negligence.
In a response, Emergent declared the report was "nothing new" and said the company had been "open and forthcoming" with both the FDA and Congress.
According to Tuesday's report from the Democrat-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, executives at Emergent BioSolutions failed to address deficiencies at the Maryland manufacturing site raised by the FDA. They were also aware of potential contamination and manufacturing issues brought forward by third parties like Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca "for years," according to one former executive.
By reviewing internal emails, documents and interviews, the report concluded that nearly 400 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were destroyed as a result of "poor quality control." The congressional report found the total number of discarded or destroyed doses was more than five times what had been previously disclosed by the company. It included 90 million doses that were manufactured after the Biden administration ordered the company to halt production last year after it was discovered vaccines had been cross-contaminated.
The company also said it disputes the claim that 400 million doses were "rendered unusable."
IPS K-8 school reinstates mask mandate due to rising COVID-19 cases
An Indianapolis school serving elementary and middle school students is reinstating its mask mandate due to rising COVID-19 cases.
On Monday, Indianapolis Public School's Center for Inquiry School 84 began requiring students, staff and visitors to wear masks on buses and indoors.
Masks are also required for students, staff and visitors during community events and field trips.
A statement from IPS said the school's mandate is temporary, and the district plans to drop the mandate on Tuesday, May 24.
The school is located on the north side of Indianapolis at 440 E. 57th St., between Central Avenue and North Washington Boulevard.
2nd COVID-19 booster shot available to Hoosiers 50 and up
The Indiana Department of Health announced Wednesday 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 announcement comes one day after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for that age group and and certain younger people with severely weakened immune systems.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later 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 that they can begin administering second boosters of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to people who qualify.
The CDC also says that 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.
Marion County COVID-19 vaccination and test clinics continue
The Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) continues to provide free COVID-19 vaccination and testing to anyone interested in receiving these services.
MCPHD is operating one COVID-19 testing site, which is a drive-thru clinic located at 3838 N. Rural St. in Indianapolis.
The clinic's current hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. This clinic offers PCR testing only and no rapid testing. A list of additional test sites registered with the Indiana Department of Health is available at coronavirus.in.gov.
Appointments for COVID-19 testing at the MCPHD location are not required but are available by visiting marionhealth.org/indycovid or calling 317-221-5515.
MCPHD is also offering COVID-19 vaccines at its district health offices, ACTION Health Center, and four other locations in Marion County. Appointments for vaccines are not required but are recommended.
Please visit ourshot.in.gov or call 2-1-1 to find a vaccination clinic.
Marion County clinic schedule
- Northeast District Health Office, 6042 E. 21st St.
Mondays: 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Tuesdays: 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Eagledale Plaza Health Office, 2802 Lafayette Road
Tuesdays: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Northwest District Health Office, 6940 N. Michigan Road
Thursdays: 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. - South District Health Office, 7551 S. Shelby St.
Mondays: 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Fridays: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. - ACTION Health Center, 2868 N. Pennsylvania St.
Wednesdays: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. - Martindale-Brightwood Public Library Branch, 2435 N. Sherman Drive (ages 12-over only)
Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. - College Avenue Public Library Branch, 4180 N. College Ave. (ages 12-over only)
Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. - East 38th Street Public Library Branch, 5420 E. 38th St. (ages 12-over only)
Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. - IndyGo Carson Transit Center, 201 E. Washington St. (ages 12-over only)
Tuesdays: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Wednesdays: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Thursdays: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.