State: Unvaccinated make up huge percentage of COVID deaths, hospitalizations

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Editor’s Note: The Indiana State Department of Health on Monday announced it would no longer update its COVID-19 dashboard by noon on weekdays as it has throughout much of the pandemic. Instead, the department said it would update the data by 5 p.m. each day. The department said it was dealing with a high volume of information and the later deadline would allow for a “more thorough review of data before it is posted.” 

New statistics released Monday by the Indiana State Department of Health show that a huge percentage of those who have recently died or been hospitalized with COVID-19 were unvaccinated.

For the week ended Sept. 23, only 22 of the 1,721 people, or 1.3%, who were admitted to a hospital in Indiana with COVID were fully vaccinated, the state said. Of the 315 people admitted to intensive care during that time, only one was fully vaccinated.

The state said 246 people died from COVID during the same week. Only three, or 1.2%, were fully vaccinated.

Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 decreased from 2,279 on Friday to 2,181 on Sunday, the department said. Almost 28% of Indiana’s intensive care unit beds are occupied by COVID patients.

The state reported no new deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, but the cumulative total rose by 85 over the weekend, to 14,980. The seven-day moving average of new deaths dropped from 25 per day on Friday to 17 on Monday, the health department said.

The department reported 1,724 new cases of COVID-19. The cumulative number of cases increased by 6,312 from Friday to Monday, to 954,230.

More than 3.24 million Hoosiers had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday at 5 a.m., after a weekend increase of about 11,000. Department statistics say 59.2% of Indiana residents 18 and older are now fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 cases

*New COVID-19 cases: 1,724

Total cumulative cases: 954,230

COVID-19 deaths

New deaths: 0

Total cumulative deaths: 14,980

COVID-19 testing

New tested individuals: 5,209

Total cumulative tested individuals: 4,170,864

Cumulative positivity rate unique individuals: 22.9%

Cumulative positivity rate all tests: 8.7%

Seven-day positivity rate unique individuals: 19.6%**

Seven-day positivity rate all tests: 10.7%**

** The health department reports the 7-day positivity rates with a six-day lag to allow time for more comprehensive results.

COVID-19 vaccinations

Statewide totals (Dec. 14–Sept. 27)

First dose administered: 3,239,355 (weekend increase of 6,770)

Fully vaccinated: 3,248,740 (weekend increase of 11,018)

County numbers

Marion County cumulative cases: 129,890 (increase of 257)

Marion County new deaths: 0

Marion County cumulative deaths: 2,003

Marion County 7-day positivity rate unique individuals: 17.9%

Marion County 7-day positivity rate all tests: 10.6%

Hamilton County cumulative cases: 44,326

Hendricks County cumulative cases: 22,576

Johnson County cumulative cases: 23,862

Madison County cumulative cases: 17,628

Boone County cumulative cases: 8,507

Hancock County cumulative cases: 11,022

Morgan County cumulative cases: 9,000

Shelby County cumulative cases: 6,701

Indiana intensive care unit usage

ICU beds in use by COVID-19 patients: 27.6%

ICU beds in use by non-COVID-19 patients: 50.5%

Available ICU beds: 21.9%

U.S. and worldwide numbers

As of  Monday, from Johns Hopkins University:

U.S. cases: 43,116,432

U.S. deaths: 690,426

Global cases: 232,316,272

Global deaths: 4,756,251

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18 thoughts on “State: Unvaccinated make up huge percentage of COVID deaths, hospitalizations

  1. On Friday, the report said “ICU beds in use by COVID-19 patients: 28.8%.” Now for Monday, it’s “ICU beds in use by COVID-19 patients: 50.5%.”

    Did we have a massive hospitalization spike over the weekend?

    1. That’s a mistake, Kenny, that is now corrected. The 50.5% is for non-COVID patients. It’s 27.6% for COVID patients.

  2. “The state said 246 people died from COVID during the same week. Only three, or 1.2%, were fully vaccinated.”

    Perhaps we can offer this as “research” to those still looking….

  3. Serious question – how do they know that the patients were not fully vaccinated? I have tried to research this online, but have not found the answer.
    The reason I ask is because of an anecdotal report that a hospital was determining vaccination status by checking whether it had vaccinated the patient. Are the hospitals required to cross-check a national database showing who is/not vaccinated? I have spoken with doctors who did not know the answer to this question.

    Not trying to be a conspiracy theorist. But, there are a lot of incentives to blame this wave on the unvaccinated and try to force mandatory vaccinations with the vaccines created in April and May 2020 (rather than pharmaceutical companies creating new vaccines geared specifically for the delta variant, for example). And, as of May 2021, the Biden Administration implemented a rule that a fully vaccinated asymptomatic person could not get tested for Covid – so if you want to get a Covid test, you need to say you are “not vaccinated.” [I am not SURE this applies in hospitals – because you are likely symptomatic if you’re at the hospital. But, I am not sure if there are restrictions on when hospitals can charge for Covid tests, now. For example, hospitals used to not test for Covid if you had not been out of the country personally.]

    1. But the vaccines work well against Delta, when it comes to preventing death or severe illness.

      There is simply no further information you can give people to encourage them to get vaccinated. So you get stories like this one:

      https://www.indystar.com/story/news/health/2021/09/27/indiana-covid-vaccine-vaccination-symptoms-new-palestine-man-hospitalized-urges-get-vaccinated/5848035001/

      No amount of news out of places where they are rationing care will change people’s minds.

    2. I really wish we could stop with all of the search for conspiracies. This is a pandemic, it is real, and at least for now, the people hit hardest are those who for whatever reason have chosen not to be vaccinated. That is a simple fact backed up up a ton of research. Of course, the continued huge number of unvaccinated people are increasing the risk of ongoing mutations and variants that will be more dangerous for everyone, potentially including the vaccinated. But for now, vaccines are preventing the vast majority of serious illness from delta.

      To answer your question, there IS a state database of vaccinations. No, there is not a national database…and there never will be, because the same thinking that is leading to anti-vaxx attitudes is also fearful of any kind of national database, or national ID card, or heaven forbid, a national vaccine passport. Yes, we would have been much better off with a national approach to all of this, but we can thank our former fearless leader for standing in the way of that sensible pandemic response. We are still living with the aftermath of all of those bad decisions from 2020, as well as reckless decisions being made to this day by Trump wannabes at the state level, and all of the followers who can’t stand science.

    1. Keep up the propaganda Joe B.

      St. Vincent has major staff shortage issues.

      We can’t do surgery not for lack of capacity, but lack of staff.

      When nurses/techs have quit to travel as PRN, etc. and get paid much more, facilities can’t get staff.

      Open positions at IU Health are over 100 people.

      Politicians have been focused on ruining healthcare and hospitals care about their margins.

      National Guard is helping solely due to lack of staff. There are operative wings and recovery areas of the facility empty.

    2. Facilities also can’t staff because people are quitting because they’re burned out. I might quit too if I had to deal with a preventable fourth wave of the pandemic with some patients who might yell at you that they really don’t have COVID.

      Or, I’d hold out for more money and travel. Believe me, my spouse gets the travel nursing job offers all the time. Lots of money but still not worth it for us.

      People want more of the free market in healthcare but when it comes to staff behavior … is that not part of it too?

      Myself, I’d have the National Guard drive the school buses over at Pike.

    3. Joe, like influenza (does it exist anymore?), coronavirus is here to stay. It will keep developing variants like all viruses.

      Eradicating this virus via vaccination won’t happen, and there is no long term data to support the demands of politicians who have companies and healthcare running scared.

      President says we need to get to 97-98% vaccination rates…that also won’t happen. The dementia is strong with Joe though!

      Percentage of people who don’t get a flu shot? 25% or so. Sound familiar?

    4. “Won’t go away via vaccination”.

      I sure hope you know a good chiropractor when you twist yourself around to justify your beliefs with logic like that one.

      Besides, I’m still waiting on all those people who said that they’d get vaccinated as soon as the FDA approved the vaccine, then who pivoted to say it was rushed so they wouldn’t get the shot.

      Look, you don’t want to get vaccinated? Fine. Just be clear with these people, taking care of them is literally at the back of the line. Ration their care. Someone else comes in, they get sent outside. They made their choice (their body, their choice, right?), let them live with the consequences. Maybe videos of people slowly suffocating to death outside will do what words and logic can’t.

      As someone who’s actually pro-life, it’s hard to suggest but I’m at wit’s end with the neighsayers. They are killing other people.

      Threads like the below don’t make me feel any different either:

      https://twitter.com/summerbrennan/status/1442806675325476867

    5. Your arguments continue not to hold water Joe.

      Let’s ration care for the obese, type II diabetics, smokers, drinkers, etc.

      Their body their choice.

    6. I find it super-odd how you work in the medical field and you’re advocating for policies that have led to hospitals not being staffed and excess deaths from illnesses that are only deaths because the health care system is collapsing.

      Ever consider that a career change might be a good idea?

    7. I’m actually even more focused on my career given the political circus caused by career politicians and margin hungry facilities.

      Look at all hospital balance sheets and 3 pharma companies balance sheets. Just crushing it.

      Not advocating for any policies to “collapse the healthcare system”.

      The medical community would be better served if they all got politicians, crooked CDC career scientists, and other lobbyist level influencers out of the true scientific decision making. There is no place for agendas in healthcare other than honesty, true data review and transparency.

      Long term data was critical to all pharma and medical devices. We have decided to ignore that framework. What is the purpose of the FDA if the prior thresholds to do no harm have been removed? The data around mortality by age and comorbidities is now being ignored, the understanding of viral variants and the way to manage those issues has been ignored, and the people who created this lab developed virus have been ignored and further empowered to some how fix all of this?

      The hypocrisy is at a whole new level.

      Influenza exists, dying of other ailments still exist, etc. and the data to review the last 18 months doesn’t pass the red face test of honesty.

      We have people purposely prolonging these issues and don’t ever want this “pandemic” to go away. Unemployment benefits continually extended, evictions halted, mandates to employment, open borders allowing untested immigrants to just roll into the country and more.

      When you push healthcare employees to alternatives like free weekly government money (using the tax dollars of the 47% who actually pay for all this), or a new job where a mandate of vaccination isn’t required, the people make choices that are better for themselves and their families.

      I used to appreciate that healthcare was a scientific data driven and ethical part of our society. We care for the sick regardless of insurance or pre-existing conditions. Now we have a portion of society who wants to segregate based on personal opinion or view.

      We admonish those who challenge clinical data if it doesn’t fit an agenda and God forbid we question the premise and controls of a study.

      We are watching healthcare being destroyed by our own government of elected officials.

      And sorry Joe, that actually makes the honest leaders in healthcare more focused than ever to fight back to get these politicians and executives out of the exam rooms, ORs, labs, and decision making.

    8. Your own words expose your own hypocrisy.

      You complain about people who want the pandemic to last forever, then whine about the lack of long-term data for a vaccine to end the pandemic. Which way do you want it? Just open everything up and let ’em die to get it over with because they were old or fat and had it coming anyway, or lock everything down and wait for that data to come in before anyone gets vaccinated?

      You’re not challenging anything. You’re just spreading nonsense that fits your own worldview and consuming only the news you agree with. You’ve never said a thing that anyone with a basic understanding of Google could disprove quickly.

      It’s the little things that you throw in that tip you off. For instance, do I agree that there’s a fair chance COVID was created in a lab? Sure. But I also know that no one has the 100% proof to say it’s that vs. something mutated from an animal, so if you’re hanging your hat on lab-created at this point, you’re off in the same “lack of long-term proof” land that you’re lambasting the CDC for.

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