Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe number of Indiana COVID-19 cases is on an upward swing. Younger, largely unvaccinated age groups appear to be driving the rise.
The seven-day moving average of positive cases is back over 1,000 a day, according to the Indiana State Department of Health—with the state’s mask mandate set to end Tuesday.
Cases among those 20-39 years old increased 40% in the last two weeks, according to Micah Pollak, associate professor of economics at Indiana University Northwest.
Cases among Indiana’s oldest are flat or falling — potential proof that vaccinations are helping stop the spread of the coronavirus, experts say.
Nearly 80% of Hoosiers above 70 years old are partially or fully vaccinated. COVID-19 diagnoses in that age group have stayed down, despite a recent upward trend in the state’s case rate.
“This is the most compelling evidence I’ve seen on the effect of vaccinations,” Pollak said in a Twitter thread Friday.
“So many people latched on to it [this data] as evidence that the vaccine works,” Pollak added in an interview Monday. “I’ve been following this for so long, but many people are still thinking, ‘It’s so new, and how do we trust it?’”
More than 1.2 million people, or nearly 23% of Indiana’s population are fully vaccinated, better than the national average of about 19%, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Last Wednesday’s expansion of vaccine eligibility to Hoosiers 16 years and older could put a dent in cases among the younger, unvaccinated age groups.
“When 50 to 60% of a population is vaccinated, we see that cases drop like a rock,” Pollak said. “It’s important to reach that for as many age groups as possible.”
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
…..and this is shocking how exactly??? Good thing we got all the 60-80+ year old’s their shots first to ensure economic recovery happens quickly…..oh wait….that’s right…..that age group hasn’t driven the economy in almost 3 decades.
So are you suggesting that economic recovery is more important than protecting the elderly of dying from Covid-19? Just because they may no longer drive the economy doesn’t mean they’re unimportant. Who exactly do you think built the economy you have today? I hope when I’m old that people don’t think my life is worth less than the young.
Wesley is 100% right.
Math: 1.2 million vaccinated / 6.8 million residents = 17.6% of population vaccinated. 1.2 million is 23% of 5.2 million.
.
Now, maybe, children under a certain age are excluded, so it’s possible that 23% of the ADULT population is vaccinated. But that should be made clear in the story.
Many seniors continue to work well past 65 retirement age because they need to and are able to as many employers welcome workers that show up every day on time, not under the influence of substances, willing to do their jobs without complaining. These are the basics that many millennials and Gen Z individuals are not willing to adopt which is holding them back from earning steady incomes, and leaving employers with many positions unfilled. The Boomers continue to “drive the economy”.
Fundamentally not true…
Millennials have been shown time and time again to work nearly 40% more annually than the boomer generation, and at only 62% of the pay!
Maybe if the boomers had not destroyed the economy, they would not have to still be working…
Whoa. The reason to put elders first in line for vaccines is their higher likelihood of dying. Let’s not forget that while we wage intergenerational war, gentlemen.