INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Monday'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.
IU students file federal lawsuit over vaccine mandate
A group of IU students filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the university over its vaccine requirement.
The students say the requirement violates their constitutional rights, as well as Indiana's vaccine passport law. The lawsuit claims any student who doesn't provide proof of vaccination is subjected to "virtual expulsion" from the school.
In May, the university announced it would require students and employees to be fully vaccinated — and show proof of their vaccination. After pushback from state lawmakers and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, the school eliminated the requirement to provide documentation of vaccination.
IU issued a statement in response to the lawsuit:
The requirement for all Indiana University students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated before the return to school in August remains in place. As part of IU’s response to the ongoing pandemic, the vaccine mandate is helping to support a return to safe and more normal operations this fall.
The university is confident it will prevail in this case. Following release of the Indiana attorney general's opinion, our process was revised, with uploading proof of vaccination no longer required. The attorney general’s opinion affirmed our right to require the vaccine.
Butler to require COVID-19 vaccine
Butler University announced Monday it will require students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall semester.
The university said it would consider exemptions for individuals who have health-related, religious, or strongly held personal reasons against getting the vaccine.
Those who are not vaccinated will have to follow other safety measures:
- Regular COVID-19 surveillance testing throughout the semester
- Required 10-day quarantine after coming into contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19
- Ineligible to participate in study abroad programs
- Required face coverings when indoors and around others
Celebration to be held in Carmel for thousands of employees returning to work
Thousands of workers in Carmel’s corporate corridors are finally returning to the office after a 15-month absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This includes Allied Solutions, which employs hundreds of people in Midtown. Allied Solutions has been slowly bringing employees back and it has now fully resumed normal operations.
To celebrate being back together again, the city of Carmel and Allied Solutions will host a midday party at Midtown Plaza at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 23, for both employees and members of the public who wish to join in the festivities – and get a free COVID-19 vaccination.
Mayor Jim Brainard and Allied Solutions CEO Pete Hilger will be on hand to formally celebrate employees being back together in Midtown.
US encouraged by increasing vaccines, decreasing deaths
COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the early days of the disaster in March 2020, while the drive to put shots in arms approached another encouraging milestone Monday: 150 million Americans fully vaccinated.
The coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But now, as the outbreak loosens its grip, it has fallen down the list of the biggest killers.
CDC data suggests that more Americans are dying every day from accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, strokes or Alzheimer's disease than from COVID-19.
The U.S. death toll stands at more than 600,000, while the worldwide count is close to 3.9 million, though the real figures in both cases are believed to be markedly higher.
About 45% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Over 53% of Americans have received at least one dose of vaccine. But U.S. demand for shots has slumped, to the disappointment of public health experts.
New cases are running at about 11,400 a day on average, down from over a quarter-million per day in early January. Average deaths per day are down to about 293, according to Johns Hopkins University, after topping out at over 3,400 in mid-January.
State reports 10K more fully vaccinated Hoosiers, 4 deaths
The Indiana State Department of Health reported 10,638 new individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday morning. The state has recorded 5,506,004 total vaccine shots administered, with 2,745,079 people fully vaccinated against the virus.
ISDH also reported 150 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, along with four additional deaths that occurred between Thursday and Sunday. A total of 13,379 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, with another 420 probable deaths reported in patients for whom no positive test was on record.
Indiana has tested a total of 3,561,837 unique individuals. A total of 10,749,488 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been administered since the start of the pandemic in late February of 2020.
Tokyo Olympic organizers to allow 50% capacity, 10K max at venues
The Tokyo Olympics will allow some local fans to attend when the games open in just over a month, Tokyo organizing committee officials and the International Olympic Committee announced on Monday.
Organizers set a limit of 50% of capacity up to a maximum of 10,000 fans for all Olympic venues.
The decision was announced after so-called Five Party talks online with local organizers, the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee, the Japanese government and the government of metropolitan Tokyo.
Marion County vaccine tour stops today
The Marion County Public Health Department is offering incentives to get residents vaccinated against COVID-19. Pop-up clinics will come to meet residents where they are.
Monday's clinics:
- Black Firefighters Association,1201 E. 46th Street, Indianapolis - 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for patients 18 and over)
- 7551 Shelby Street, Indianapolis - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for patients 12 and over)
Find the full schedule here.
The clinics will run through July 2. Any resident who gets vaccinated at one of the county's clinics or pop-up locations will get the chance to win prizes:
- A package of two Indianapolis Colts season tickets with a signed Peyton Manning rookie jersey
- Two half-season Indiana Pacers ticket packages, each also including a signed Domantas Sabonis 2020 All-Star jersey
- Indianapolis Indians clubhouse tickets and a jersey
- Tickets to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
- A gift basket from the Indianapolis Zoo that includes a free membership
- Fun cards for pool admission at Indy Parks
There will be daily drawings for smaller prizes, while the winners of the larger items will be randomly selected after July 2. For more information about the sweepstakes, visit marionhealth.org/vaccinateindy.
Upcoming central Indiana vaccine clinics
Mobile vaccination clinics are planned this week on the following schedule:
June 23-24 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.):
Grant County:
Allen Temple AME Church
3440 S. Washington, Marion, IN 46953
June 23-25 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.):
Monroe County:
Harrodsburg Community Center
1102 W. Popcorn Rd., Harrodsburg, IN 47403
Shelby County:
Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church
3718 E. Blue Ridge Rd., Shelbyville, IN 46176
June 23-26 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.):
Spencer County:
Spencer County Fair
1101 E. CR 800 N., Chrisney, IN 47611
Patients with an appointment at a state-hosted public vaccination site can get a free Uber or Lyft ride. Call 2-1-1 or (866) 211-9966 to receive a voucher to cover the cost of an Uber ride to and from your vaccination appointments. IU Health offers free Lyft rides to any vaccine site in the state. Call 1.888.IUHEALTH (888-484-3258) and choose option 9 if you need transportation to your vaccine appointment.
US sends Taiwan 2.5 million vaccine doses, tripling pledge
A plane with 2.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Taiwan from the U.S. in a donation with both public health and geopolitical meaning.
The China Airlines cargo flight touched down late Sunday afternoon. The donation more than triples an earlier U.S. pledge of 750 million doses for the self-governing island that is claimed by China. It signals Washington's support for Taiwan in the face of growing pressure from China.
Taiwan had been relatively unscathed by the virus. But it's been caught off guard by a surge in new cases since May, and is now scrambling to get vaccines.
Companies give vaccines to workers, boosting Japan's rollout
Thousands of Japanese companies began distributing COVID-19 vaccines to workers and their families Monday in an employer-led drive that aims to rev up the nation’s slow vaccine rollout.
Beverage maker Suntory plans to inoculate 51,500 people, including part-time workers and employees’ families. Toyota, Fast Retailing and Rakuten are among 3,500 companies that have signed up for the drive. Universities are eligible in the same program, and small businesses can sign up separately.
Getting companies involved is finally helping rev up Japan's rollout. About 6% of Japanese people are fully vaccinated.
Vaccine hesitancy puts India's gains against virus at risk
India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country’s nearly 1.4 billion people live.
Health workers are facing stiff resistance in villages, where some flee their homes until the workers are gone. Vaccine workers have been physically attacked by people who believe the shots can cause infertility and even death.
To allay the fear and confusion, state governments have mounted aggressive awareness campaigns through posters and radio announcements. But India already has struggled with low vaccination rates and will have to get many millions more people vaccinated to end the pandemic.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 33.54 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 3:30 a.m. ET Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 601,800 deaths in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 178.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 3.86 million deaths. More than 2.6 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.
Johnson Co. library to host COVID-19 vaccine clinics
The Johnson County Public Library is hoping a series of clinics will help as the number of people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 begins to plateau.
The clinics will be held at the following locations, days and times:
Trafalgar Library Branch
- June 23, 2021: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- July 14, 2021: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Aug. 6, 2021: 3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
White River Library Branch
- July 13, 2021: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Aug. 3, 2021: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Franklin Library Branch
- July 1, 2021: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- July 22, 2021: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
The Pfizer vaccine will be given at all of the clinics and Spanish translators will be available.
If a person does not have transportation, Access Johnson County’s Demand Response service offers curb-to-curb service between their home and the clinic and back. The cost is as little as $4 each way. If a person can’t afford the fare, Access will waive the fare. To schedule a ride, call 317-738-5523.