INDIANAPOLIS — 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 select groups through Indiana State Department of Health. This story will be updated over the course of the day with more news on the COVID-19 pandemic.
State reports 1,764 new cases, 55 additional deaths
The Indiana State Department of Health on Sunday reported 1,764 new cases of COVID-19. Positive tests in the state now total 639,711 after adjustments made to Saturday's numbers.
The state also confirmed 55 additional deaths the occurred between Dec. 19, 2020 and Saturday have been reported to ISDH in patients with a confirmed positive COVID-19 test. Total confirmed deaths among Hoosiers now stand at 11,401. Another 416 probable deaths have been reported in patients for whom no positive test is on record.
As of Sunday, 694,945 Hoosiers have received a first dose of vaccine, and 216,389 are fully vaccinated.
Virus experts hope Super Bowl won't sack US
Health officials are on edge as the coronavirus clashes with a Sunday sports event that typically brings millions of people together: the NFL Super Bowl. They fear that the game could seed new COVID-19 cases if fans attend parties to watch Tampa Bay play Kansas City.
The new coronavirus strain that spread quickly in the United Kingdom was confirmed in Kansas after turning up in several other states. States, meanwhile, are in a race to vaccinate.
The game will be played in front of about 22,000 masked fans in Tampa, many of them vaccinated health workers.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 26.91 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 6:30 a.m. ET Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 462,180 deaths in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 105.84 million confirmed cases with more than 2.31 million deaths and nearly 58.95 million recoveries.
The real number of people infected by the virus around the world is believed to be much higher — perhaps 10 times higher in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — given testing limitations and the many mild cases that have gone unreported or unrecognized.
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.
UK vaccine gambles paid off, while EU caution slowed it down
The European Union has chosen a careful route in its vaccine campaign to defeat the coronavirus pandemic. And as a result, it has seen a slow rollout of shots compared to Britain.
Across the channel, the United Kingdom has shown speed and agility in its vaccine strategy. It has announced vaccine deals earlier, authorized shots from different companies more quickly, and experimented with stretching out the time between doses to get more people some protection quicker.
The result is that the EU is in the U.K.’s rearview mirror. Britain has given at least one vaccine shot to about 15% of its population, compared to some 3% in the EU's 27 nations.