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 12 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.
ISDH update
The state is reporting 2,326 new COVID-19 cases and 29 additional deaths. The state's death toll from coronavirus now stands at 15,442.
The Indiana State Department of Health also reported 5,455 more Hoosiers are fully vaccinated. Nearly 3.3 million Hoosiers are now vaccinated against COVID-19.
Pfizer asks for FDA authorization for COVID vaccine for kids under 12
Pfizer asked the U.S. government Thursday to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 — and if regulators agree, shots could begin within a matter of weeks.
Pfizer announced in a tweet that it had formally filed its application with the Food and Drug Administration.
Now, the FDA will have to decide if there’s enough evidence that the shots are safe and will work for younger children like they do for teens and adults. An independent expert panel will publicly debate the evidence on Oct. 26.
One big change: Pfizer says its research shows the younger kids should get a third of the dose now given to everyone else. After their second dose, the 5- to 11-year-olds developed virus-fighting antibody levels just as strong as teens and young adults get from regular-strength shots.
More than 120,000 US children lost a primary caregiver to COVID-19, study finds
The number of U.S. children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic may be larger than previously estimated, and the toll has been far greater among Black and Hispanic Americans, a new study suggests.
More than half the children who lost a primary caregiver during the pandemic belonged to those two racial groups, which make up about 40% of the U.S. population, according to the study published Thursday by the medical journal Pediatrics.
During 15 months of the nearly 19-month COVID-19 pandemic, more than 120,000 U.S. children lost a parent or grandparent who was a primary provider of financial support and care, the study found. Another 22,000 children experienced the death of a secondary caregiver — for example, a grandparent who provided housing but not a child's other basic needs.
Federal statistics are not yet available on how many U.S. children went into foster care last year. Researchers estimate COVID-19 drove a 15% increase in orphaned children.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 44.05 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 3:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 707,700 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 236.53 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 4.82 million deaths. More than 6.37 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
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.
MLB finalizing policy to mandate vaccine for minor leaguers
Major League Baseball is finalizing a policy that will mandate COVID-19 vaccines for minor league players for the 2022 season.
While the league could face legal challenges in requiring vaccination for major leaguers without the cooperation of the players association, minor leaguers are not included in the big league union. It's expected that minor leaguers will have to be inoculated before arriving for spring training.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the pending mandate.