Tag: Sunday

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 5 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.

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The Marion County Public Health Department is partnering with the College Football Playoff Host Committee to provide free COVID-19 vaccines and rapid testing on Monday, Jan. 10 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on the north side of Washington Street between Pennsylvania and Meridian streets.

The walk-in clinic near Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis will take place using two MCPHD mobile units.

The vaccine clinic will offer both initial and booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for those ages 12 and over, as well as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for those ages 18 and older. Those receiving a second or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are asked to bring their vaccine card or a photo of the card. Parental or guardian consent is required for a minor to be administered the vaccine.

Rapid test results will be provided on-site within about 15 minutes of getting a test.

Some students in the MSD of Warren Township will continue e-learning for a week.

Superintendent Dr. Tim Hanson originally notified families last week that students in grades 5 through 12 will have e-learning days Friday, Jan. 7 and Monday, Jan. 10  due to a “large number of staffing needs” that arose from positive COVID cases and other illnesses.

On Sunday, Hanson said students in grades 5 through 12 will learn virtually through Friday, Jan. 14.

According to Hanson, COVID-19 cases are impacting staff in the intermediate middle schools in the district, as well as Warren Central High School. The transportation department has also been affected.

The change does not affect students in kindergarten through fourth grade.

The Purdue vs. Michigan men’s basketball game has been postponed because the Wolverines have fewer than seven scholarship players cleared to play due to COVID-19 protocols. 

The third-ranked Boilermakers (13-2) were scheduled to play at Michigan (7-6) Tuesday, Jan. 11. 

The Wolverines also had to postpone their game against No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday because they didn’t have enough scholarship players available.

Purdue’s next scheduled game is Friday, Jan. 14 at home against Nebraska (6-10). Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says “a basic agreement” has been reached with the U.S. on banning the U.S. military from leaving base grounds in Japan, a step to curb the spread of coronavirus infections. 

He says details of the deal are being worked out. 

New daily cases have surged in what medical experts call “the sixth wave,” topping 8,000 lately, a four-month record. That’s been blamed on the U.S. military because the jump is most pronounced near the bases. 

Southwestern Okinawa, which houses most of the 55,000 U.S. troops, is among the three prefectures where new restrictions have kicked in.

There have been more than 59.76 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 837,250 deaths recorded in the U.S.

Worldwide, there have been more than 305.24 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 5.48 million deaths and more than 9.4 billion vaccine doses 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.

The Fishers Health Department announced it will open priority rapid COVID-19 testing appointments for students and staff of Fishers-based schools beginning Monday, Jan. 10.

The department said the measure is an effort to help ensure schools remain open and in-person while keeping students and staff safe.

The testing will take place at the existing drive-thru location, located at 3 Municipal Drive in Fishers.

Kindergarten through grade 12 Fishers-based school staff and children who want a PCR test must register online. The department said they’re only able to offer rapid tests to people 18 and younger, and 50 and older.

Registration information and testing hours can be found at this link.

Closed-door negotiations resumed Saturday to resolve a standoff between Chicago school officials and the city’s teachers union over COVID-19 precautions that canceled three days of classes this week. But the public war-of-words between union leaders and Chicago’s mayor showed little sign of an imminent resolution. 

The Chicago Teachers Union wants remote learning until there’s an agreement or the latest COVID-19 surge subsides, but district leaders say remote instruction was devastating for children and their well-being. 

Both sides have been negotiating a pandemic safety plan, including more standards for testing and metrics that could trigger school closures.

Among 102 kids ages 12 to 18 who were hospitalized with the condition, none who had received two Pfizer shots at least 28 days earlier needed ventilators or other advanced life support. By contrast, 40{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of unvaccinated children required such treatment.

The condition, multisystem inflammatory syndrome, causes symptoms that may include persistent fever, abdominal pain and rashes. Most children recover, but 55 deaths have been reported. 

The report comes as hospitalizations of U.S. children under 5 with COVID-19 soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine. 

Since mid-December, with the highly contagious omicron variant spreading furiously around the country, the hospitalization rate in these youngest kids has surged to more than 4 in 100,000 children, up from 2.5 per 100,000.

The rate among children ages 5 to 17 is about 1 per 100,000, according to the CDC data, which is drawn from over 250 hospitals in 14 states.

U.S. regulators on Friday shortened the time that people who received Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine have to wait for a booster — to five months rather than six.

The two-dose Moderna vaccine is open to Americans 18 and older. The Food and Drug Administration’s decision Friday means Moderna recipients are eligible for a booster after at least five months have passed since their last shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed.

That’s in line with new recommendations for recipients of the Pfizer vaccine. Initial Pfizer vaccinations are open to anyone 5 or older. But only Pfizer recipients 12 and older are eligible for boosters, and earlier this week, U.S. health authorities said they can get one five months after their last shot.

In a statement, FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks called vaccination “our best defense against COVID-19” and said a shortened wait for a booster may help as the country battles a surge of the highly contagious omicron variant.

A booster after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine already is urged two months later.

The Indianapolis Public Library announced Friday it is canceling all in-branch library programs and community meeting room reservations as of Monday, Jan. 10 due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

The library shared the announcement on Twitter and said all library branches, online programs, computers, curbside pickups and vaccine clinics will still be open and available.