INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Sunday'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.
Vaccine clinics at Indianapolis library branches resume this week
The COVID-19 vaccine is now available at the Indianapolis Public Library’s Martindale-Brightwood Branch, located at 2435 N. Sherman Drive, and the College Avenue Branch, located at 4180 N. College Ave.
These two COVID-19 vaccination sites are operating on the same weekly schedule:
- Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.-3:30pm
- Wednesday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Clinics are closed on Sunday and Monday
Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines are all available.
The COVID-19 vaccine is free and no appointment is needed.
Face masks are required for visitors while inside library buildings
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 44.91 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 5:30 a.m. Sunday according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 724,150 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 240.44 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 4.895 million deaths. More than 6.6 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.
States can order COVID shots for younger kids this week
U.S. health officials are setting the stage for a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to order doses before the shots are authorized.
Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is currently being given to people as young as 12 in the U.S. In the next three weeks, federal officials plan to discuss making smaller-dose versions available to the nation's 28 million children between the ages of 5 and 11.
To help states and cities prepare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week sent out a seven-page document with guidance on how to set up expanded vaccination programs.
For example, it notes pharmacies in every state can give COVID-19 shots to children, but it clarifies that only doses prepared and packaged specifically for children are to be used for those under 12.
It doesn't speak to some thornier questions, however, such as how much school-based clinics should be relied on or whether kids should be required to get their shots as a condition of school attendance.
Lawsuits demand unproven ivermectin for COVID patients
At least two dozen lawsuits have been filed around the U.S., many in recent weeks, by people seeking to force hospitals to give their COVID-stricken loved ones ivermectin, a drug for parasites that has been promoted by conservative commentators as a treatment despite a lack of conclusive evidence that it helps people with the virus.
The families have gotten prescriptions for ivermectin, but hospitals have refused to use it on their loved ones, who are often on ventilators and facing death.
The lawsuits have had a mix of results in state courts. Some judges have refused to order hospitals to give ivermectin. Others have ordered medical providers to give the medication, despite concerns it could be harmful.
FDA panel endorses booster shot for J&J COVID-19 vaccine
A panel of U.S. health advisers endorsed booster doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration panel said Friday that the booster should be offered at least two months after immunization but didn't suggest a firm time.
The FDA isn’t bound by the vote but its ultimate decision could help expand the nation’s booster campaign. Booster doses of Pfizer’s vaccine began last month for people at high risk of COVID-19, and the FDA advisory panel has recommended the same approach for Moderna.
In contrast, the panel backed boosters for anyone 18 and older who received the J&J vaccine.