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Indiana coronavirus updates for Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021

The latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic from Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021.

INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Wednesday'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.

RELATED: Here's everything we know about the COVID-19 vaccine

RELATED: Eligible Hoosiers can sign up for Pfizer’s booster shot, but not everyone needs to

Gates Foundation to spend $120M on access for COVID-19 pill

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says it will spend $120 million to boost access to generic versions of drugmaker Merck’s antiviral COVID-19 pill for lower income countries, if the drug gets approved by regulators.

The private foundation said in a statement released Wednesday it hasn’t determined how it will allocate the money, but will use the funds to “support the range of activities required to develop and manufacture generic versions” of the drug, molnupiravir. The Gates Foundation says its funding is also intended to help ready regulatory, delivery and other pathways in order to make the pill more accessible, if it becomes available.

The Food and Drug Administration hasn't authorized the pill, and its outside experts are expected to meet on Nov. 30 to scrutinize the drug. If cleared by regulators, the drug will be the first pill available to treat COVID-19.

Indiana GOP push against vaccine mandate faces hurdles

Some conservative Indiana lawmakers wanting to stymie President Joe Biden's planned COVID-19 vaccine mandates for private employers are facing skepticism from their own Republican leaders and the state's largest business group. 

While Biden has promised federal vaccination-or-testing regulations for all companies with 100 or more workers, bills are planned by some Indiana legislators who want to join other Republican-led states in trying to prohibit private companies from requiring vaccine shots. 

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb has opposed Biden's proposed federal mandate as a step too far. But Holcomb says he respects companies making their own decisions about vaccine requirements.

Reports: COVID vaccine boosters for 40 and older under strong consideration

Federal regulators may be getting closer to authorizing COVID-19 booster vaccines for all people as young as 40 years old, according to reports by The Washington Post and CNN. But, for now, priority is being given to extending vaccination authorization to younger children.

Both outlets, citing unnamed sources, report senior federal health officials have been concerned that some middle-aged people are getting sick despite being fully vaccinated, which is prompting the consideration for changing the booster age requirements.

Clark-Pleasant testing site opens Thursday

Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation will open a COVID-19 Testing Site at the former Sawmill Woods Elementary School building beginning Thursday. It is located at 700 Sawmill Road in New Whiteland.

The site will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Those tested will get results by 5 p.m. the following day. Testing is free.

The site is currently slated to test for COVID-19 through Dec. 31.

ISDH update

The Indiana State Department of Health reported 2,023 more Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 1,003,647 through midnight Tuesday.

The state also reported 51 additional deaths from COVID-19 that happened between Sept. 13 and Oct. 19. Indiana has lost 15,883 residents since the pandemic began.

The state also reported 2,852 more Hoosiers are fully vaccinated. A total of 3,343,857 Hoosiers are fully vaccinated. Another 5,690 more Hoosiers received booster shots, as reported Wednesday. 

White House details plans to vaccinate 28M children ages 5-11

Children ages 5 to 11 will soon be able to get a COVID-19 shot at their pediatrician's office, local pharmacy and potentially even their school, the White House said Wednesday as it detailed plans for the expected authorization of the Pfizer shot for younger children in a matter of weeks.

Federal regulators will meet over the next two weeks to weigh the benefits of giving shots to kids, after lengthy studies meant to ensure the safety of the vaccines.

Within hours of formal approval, expected after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory meeting scheduled for Nov. 2-3, doses will begin shipping to providers across the country, along with smaller needles necessary for injecting young kids, and within days will be ready to go into the arms of kids on a wide scale.

More than 25,000 pediatricians and primary care providers have already signed on to administer COVID-19 vaccine shots to kids, the White House said, in addition to the tens of thousands of retail pharmacies that are already administering shots to adults. Hundreds of school- and community-based clinics will also be funded and supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help speed putting shots into arms. 

The White House is also preparing to mobilize a stepped-up campaign to educate parents and kids about the safety of the shots and the ease of getting them. As has been the case for adult vaccinations, the administration believes trusted messengers — educators, doctors, and community leaders — will be vital to encouraging vaccinations.

RELATED: Schools hoping Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 will be 'game changer'

While children are at lower risk than older people of having serious side effects from COVID-19, those serious consequences do occur – and officials note that vaccination both dramatically reduces those chances and will reduce the spread of the more transmissible delta variant in communities, contributing to the nation's broader recovery from the pandemic.

The administration notes that kids who get their first shot within a couple weeks of the expected approval in early November will be fully vaccinated by Christmas. 

Latest US, world numbers

There have been more than 45.13 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 3:30 a.m. Wednesday according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 728,100 deaths recorded in the U.S.

Worldwide, there have been more than 241.57 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 4.91 million deaths. More than 6.67 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.

Details of Biden's vaccination-or-testing rule could come any day

More than six weeks after promising a new vaccination-or-testing rule covering the millions of Americans at companies with 100 or more workers, President Joe Biden’s most aggressive move yet to combat the COVID-19 pandemic is almost ready to see the light of day.

An obscure White House office is expected to give the green light any day to the rule's fine print detailing how and when companies will have to require their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

The full enforcement deadline, which could carry penalties of about $14,000 per violation, may not take effect until after the new year. That’s why Biden and his aides have — for weeks — encouraged businesses to act as though the rule was already in effect and start imposing vaccination requirements.

The regulation, to be published in the Federal Register, was drafted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration under emergency authorities to protect worker safety and will cover an estimated 80 million U.S. workers. The White House sees it as a potent tool to winnow down the ranks of roughly 65 million Americans who have thus far refused to get a shot.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tests positive for COVID-19

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning, according to department spokesperson Marsha Espinosa.

Credit: AP
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press conference with Guatemala's Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo in Guatemala City, Tuesday, July 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Mayorkas was tested as part of "routine pre-travel protocols" and "is experiencing only mild congestion," Espinosa said in a statement. 

She added that contact tracing is underway and the Homeland Security Secretary will isolate and work at home in the meantime, as part of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

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