FDA experts among group opposing U.S. booster shot plan
The average person doesn’t need a COVID-19 booster yet, an international group of scientists—including two top U.S. regulators—wrote Monday in a scientific journal.
Indiana health officials announce COVID-19 testing expansion
Under the partnership, the Covington, Kentucky-based company will provide staff and supplies needed to collect and analyze up to 5,000 COVID-19 tests per day.
Purdue warns 300 students, employees over COVID-19 policy
The students and employees face disciplinary action for failing to comply with the school’s mandatory COVID-19 testing for those who haven’t provided proof of vaccination.
Internet funding rule could favor rural areas over cities
Cities and urban counties across the United States are raising concerns that a recent rule from President Joe Biden’s administration could preclude them from tapping into $350 billion of coronavirus relief aid to expand high-speed internet connections.
Unvaccinated people 11 times more likely to die of COVID-19, CDC report finds
Three major studies published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlight the continued efficacy of all three vaccines amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.
Judge weighing Indiana governor’s suit over emergency law
A top state lawyer argued Friday that Indiana’s constitution gives the Legislature full authority to meet when it wants, urging a judge to reject the governor’s lawsuit challenging the increased power state legislators gave themselves to intervene during public health emergencies.
Holcomb calls Biden’s vaccine order ‘a bridge too far’
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has long encouraged Hoosiers to get COVID-19 vaccines, on Friday pushed back against President Biden’s order that all businesses with more than 100 employees require their workers to be immunized or face weekly testing.
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations continue to rise in Indiana
Indiana reported 22 new deaths due to COVID-19, lifting the cumulative total to 14,330 during the pandemic.
U.S. investigating airlines over slow refunds during pandemic
The Transportation Department says in a new report that it investigated 20 airlines over failures to issue prompt refunds to customers, and 18 of those probes are still going.
Federal mandate takes vaccine decision off employers’ hands
Companies won’t have to worry about being sued, since it’s a government mandate and not one from the employer.
TSA doubles fines for refusing to wear masks at airports, other transportation settings
People who refuse to comply with a federal mandate that requires them to wear masks in airports, and on trains, buses and in other public transportation settings will face stiffer penalties from the Transportation Security Agency.
Biden to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for larger U.S. companies
President Joe Biden announced sweeping new COVID vaccine mandates Thursday designed to affect tens of millions of Americans. He also adopted an antagonistic tone toward the unvaccinated Thursday, placing blame on those refusing to get shots for harming other Americans.
Indiana reports 50 more COVID-19 deaths as cases, hospitalizations surge
More than a third (33.6%) of the state’s intensive care unit beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients, the Indiana State Department of Health said on Thursday.
Crushed by pandemic, conventions mount cautious return
A lot is riding on the revival of in-person meetings. Prior to the pandemic, conferences and trade shows generated more than $1 trillion in direct spending and attracted 1.5 billion attendees annually around the world, according to the Events Industry Council, a trade group.
Biden expected to order all federal workers to be vaccinated, with no testing option
The pressure on President Biden is increasing as the public health outlook worsens. The seven-day average of coronavirus deaths across the United States was 1,524 as of Wednesday, compared with 509 one month ago
U.S. jobless claims reach a pandemic low despite delta-caused slowdown
The ongoing drop in applications for unemployment aid—six declines in the past seven weeks—indicates that most companies are holding onto their workers despite the slowdown.
Local health leaders discuss COVID mitigation measures, but mask mandate not imminent
With COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the rise, public health leaders in Marion County are considering measures to reduce the spread of the virus—including a new mask mandate—but they say nothing has been decided yet.
COVID-19 patients strain Indiana hospitals as virus surges
State health officials have maintained that if more Hoosiers don’t get vaccinated and wear masks, virus spread and hospitalizations will worsen though at least early October. They’ve also attributed the recent surge, in part, to students’ return to schools.
Tech firms find remote work was easier to begin than end
Technology companies that led the charge into remote work as the pandemic unfurled are confronting a new challenge: how, when and even whether they should bring long-isolated employees back to offices that have been designed for teamwork.
Indiana Repertory Theatre to require COVID-19 vaccinations or testing for patrons
The IRT, which had previously decided to make masks mandatory for all patrons this season, said it’s decided to strengthen its COVID-19 protocols in light of the increase in cases.
Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Resources for Businesses and Employers OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 Indiana State Department of Health Indy Chamber Rapid Response Hub Small Business Administration The SBA is making low-interest loans for working capital available to Indiana small businesses. Indiana Unemployment Information Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Dashboard Critical Industries Hotline(for business and industry only)
877-820-0890
covidresponse@iedc.in.gov State’s virus-related executive orders State plan to reopen Indiana