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Indiana coronavirus updates for Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021

The latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic from Wednesday, Sept. 29, 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

Foreign spectators banned from Beijing Winter Olympics

A 21-day quarantine for non-fully vaccinated athletes, officials and workers at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Daily testing for vaccinated people. No tickets sold to anyone living outside China as Olympic venues open their doors again.

Restrictions imposed to control the COVID-19 pandemic at the next Winter Games in February were announced Wednesday by the International Olympic Committee.

While not imposing a vaccine mandate, organizers in Beijing plan stricter rules than applied at the Tokyo Olympics where vaccination was advised though not demanded within a strict regime of testing.

“Games participants who are not fully vaccinated will have to serve a 21-day quarantine upon arrival in Beijing,” the IOC said in a statement.

Olympic athletes can ask to avoid quarantine, the IOC said, for a “justified medical exemption” — a phrase that appeared to exclude ideological objections to vaccines.

It will be the second straight Olympics during the pandemic where families of athletes cannot visit the host country to watch the events.

KIPP Indy hosting vaccine clinic

KIPP Indy is joining community partners to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. To reserve a spot, register online with the enrollment code IN65942. Walk-ins will also be accepted.

The clinic will have vaccinations for COVID, DTaP/Tdap, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, HiB and HPV.

The clinic will be at KIPP Indy Legacy High School, located at 2255 Ralston Ave.

CDC issues advisory urging pregnant people to get COVID vaccine

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory Wednesday, urging pregnant people and those who are trying to get pregnant to vaccinate themselves against COVID-19.

The CDC updated its vaccine guidance at the beginning of August, recommending the shot for all pregnant people and those planning to become pregnant. Pregnant people are at increased risk of severe illness from the coronavirus, and the CDC found pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of pre-term birth and might be at increased risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The CDC also said Wednesday that there were 22 COVID-19-related deaths in pregnant people in August, the most for any single month of the pandemic. The CDC also found that 97% of pregnant people who were hospitalized because of COVID-19 were unvaccinated.

There has been some vaccine hesitancy among pregnant people, partly due to misinformation about potential impacts on fertility.

“Somehow out there the rumors have spread that it affects fertility and affects pregnancy when in fact really the reverse is the case,” infectious disease expert Dr. Steve Threlkeld said.

State reports 2,888 new COVID-19 cases, 65 additional deaths

The Indiana State Department of Health reported Wednesday that 2,888 more Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19. That brings the total confirmed case count in the state to 959,409 since March 2020.

ISDH also reported 65 new deaths from the period of Aug. 25 to Sept. 28. Indiana has lost 15,132 residents since the pandemic began.

The state also reported that 9,826 more Indiana residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Wednesday morning. The total number of Hoosiers now considered fully vaccinated is 3,264,427.

State health officials to provide update on COVID-19 Wednesday morning

State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, and Chief Medical Officer Lindsay Weaver, M.D., FACEP, will provide an update on COVID-19 and its impact in Indiana Wednesday morning.

The news conference is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. ET.

13News will stream the event on our website, Facebook page and mobile news app.

CDC director says Halloween trick-or-treating is safe for kids outside this year

Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Halloween trick-or-treating outside this year remains that it should be absolutely safe.

When asked Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" if kids are safe to trick-or-treat this year, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, “If you’re able to be outdoors, absolutely.” 

Last year, health officials discouraged going full on with Halloween festivities, citing concerns over social distancing, even outdoors.

Walensky said Sunday, “I wouldn’t necessarily go to a crowded Halloween party, but I think that we should be able to let our kids go trick-or-treating in small groups.” She said Sunday, “I hope that we can do that this year.”

As for Pfizer and it's COVID-19 vaccine for kids, the company said the shots won't likely be approved by Halloween, but rather will more likely be available some time in November. That vaccine is said to be planned as a smaller dose according to clinical trials, CNBC reported.

Latest US, world numbers

There have been more than 43.23 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 693,000 deaths recorded in the U.S.

Worldwide, there have been more than 232.78 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 4.76 million deaths. More than 6.15 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.

IndyGo hosting vaccine clinic Wednesday

IndyGo is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by giving away free access to the public transportation service for one month.

A vaccine clinic will be held at the Julia M. Carson Transit Center at 201 E. Washington St. Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Everyone who gets vaccinated will receive a free 31-day IndyGo paper pass at the clinic immediately following their vaccination. 

All three vaccines will be available, including the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for anyone 18 years and older, and the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 years and older.

IndyGo's future headquarters at 9503 E. 33rd St. is still open for free vaccinations Tuesdays through Saturdays in partnership with the Marion County Public Health Department.

Pfizer vaccine for elementary-aged kids may not be available until November

Pfizer-BioNTech said Tuesday that the company has submitted initial data to the Food and Drug Administration to support using its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 but the shots may not be available until November. 

Pfizer said last week that a trial with 2,268 participants between the ages of 5 and 11 showed a lower dose of its two-dose vaccine led to coronavirus-fighting antibody levels for kids that was just as strong as teenagers and young adults.

Pfizer said that a formal submission to request Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for their COVID-19 vaccine for kindergartners and elementary school-aged kids is expected to happen "in the coming weeks."

Once the company files its application, U.S. regulators and public health officials will review the evidence and consult with their advisory committees in public meetings to determine if the shots are safe and effective enough to recommend use.

That process may mean the shots may not be available until closer to Thanksgiving, according to a person familiar with the process but not authorized to discuss it publicly. But it is possible that, depending on how quickly the FDA acts, the shots could become available earlier in November, the person said.

As of Tuesday, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is only approved for people 12 and older. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that children make up more than a quarter of all COVID-19 cases reported across the country.

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