INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday'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 1,275 new cases, 33 additional deaths
The Indiana State Department of Health reported 1,275 new cases of COVID-19 Saturday. That brings to 647,657 the number of Indiana residents now known to have had the virus.
The ISDH also reported 33 additional confirmed deaths from the virus. A total of 11,722 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, with another 427 probable deaths reported in patients who died with COVID-19 symptoms but no positive test on record.
As of Saturday, 799,639 Hoosiers have received a first dose of vaccine, and 320,575 are fully vaccinated.
Hoosiers age 65 and older, along with healthcare workers, long-term care residents and first responders who are regularly called to the scene of an emergency to render medical assistance, are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
To schedule, visit https://ourshot.in.gov or call 211 if you do not have access to a computer or require assistance.
Oxford University testing vaccine in children
The University of Oxford plans to test its COVID-19 vaccine in children for the first time, becoming the latest vaccine developer to assess whether its coronavirus shot is effective in young people.
The trial announced Saturday seeks to recruit 300 volunteers between the ages of 6 and 17, with up to 240 receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and the remainder a control meningitis vaccine.
Andrew Pollard, chief researcher on the Oxford vaccine trial, says that while most children don’t get severely ill from COVID-19, “it is important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people as some children may benefit from vaccination.’’
Regulators in more than 50 countries have authorized widespread use of the Oxford vaccine, which is being produced and distributed by AstraZeneca, for use in people over the age of 18.
Other drug companies are also testing the COVID-19 vaccines in children. Pfizer, whose vaccine has already been authorized for use in people 16 and older, began testing its shot in children as young as 12 in October. Moderna in December began testing its vaccine on children as young as 12.
CDC releases long-awaited guidance on reopening schools
The nation’s top public health agency on Friday provided a roadmap for reopening schools in the middle of a pandemic, emphasizing mask wearing and social distancing and saying vaccination of teachers is important but not a prerequisite for reopening.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the long-awaited update, but it cannot force schools to reopen, and agency officials were careful to say they are not calling for a mandate that all U.S. schools be reopened.
They said there is strong evidence now that in-person schooling can be done safely, especially at lower grade levels, and the guidance is targeted at schools that teach kindergarten up to 12th grade.
The agency also emphasized hand washing, disinfection of school facilities, diagnostic testing and contact tracing to find new infections and separate infected people from others in a school.
The guidance was issued as President Joe Biden faces increasing pressure to deliver on his promise to get the majority of schools back to in-person teaching by the end of his first 100 days in office. The White House said this week that a national strategy would be guided by science.
There’s wide agreement that learning in the classroom is more effective and that students can face isolation and learning setbacks at home. But teachers unions in some areas say schools have failed to make buildings safe enough to return.
CDC officials emphasized that in-person learning has not been identified as a substantial driver of coronavirus spread in U.S. communities, and that transmission among students is now considered relatively rare.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 27.49 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 5:30 a.m. ET Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 480,900 deaths in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 108.2 million confirmed cases with more than 2.38 million deaths and nearly 60.64 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.
Indiana to get nearly $8 million from FEMA for vaccine sites
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is sending Indiana nearly $8 million for costs related to the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money is an advance payment for eligible reimbursable costs associated with operating more than 200 vaccination sites across the state to rapidly distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccines.
"This FEMA assistance will allow Indiana to continue its charge to vaccinate all eligible people as quickly as possible," said Steve Cox, executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. "Hoosiers are waiting anxiously to get vaccines and move beyond this pandemic, and this assistance will play an important role in helping us to return to some sort of normalcy."
Fauci says masks will still be needed after vaccine roll out
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday people will need to wear masks “for several, several months” to avoid the coronavirus as vaccinations are rolled out.
The government’s top infectious disease expert told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Friday that by the time 75 to 80 percent of the U.S. population is vaccinated, “the level of virus in the community could be so low that you could start pulling back a bit on what are stringent public health measures.”
But Fauci said any relaxing of safety measures needs to be done “prudently and gradually.”
U.S. government researchers have found that two masks are better than one in slowing the spread of the coronavirus, but health officials have stopped short of recommending everyone double up.
Fauci said the U.S. has contracted for 600 million vaccine doses, enough to vaccinate everyone with two doses. He said as spring turns into summer, everyone should be eligible to receive a vaccine, “As we go from April to May to June and then hopefully by July, we’ll be at that point where we have enough vaccine for virtually everyone.”