The problem, health leaders say, is twofold: Nurses are quitting or retiring, exhausted or demoralized by the crisis. And many are leaving for lucrative temporary jobs with traveling-nurse agencies that can pay $5,000 or more a week.
IU Health, the state’s largest hospital system, said unvaccinated workers will be placed on a two-week suspension and will be allowed to return to work if they attest to partial or full vaccination.
The Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported another 23 more deaths from the virus, raising the cumulative total to 14,101.
The order cites the recent strain on hospitals from the pandemic, and states they must report the number of hours each day they close their doors to ambulances bringing in new patients.
Deaths are on the rise, averaging more than 1,300 a day, in what health officials predicted would happen as result of the massive rise in cases and hospitalizations over the last month.
Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a new statewide executive order that eases quarantine requirements for students if all children and adults in the school were wearing masks throughout the day.
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 dipped slightly, from 2,300 on Monday to 2,294 on Tuesday. More than 28% of Indiana’s intensive care unit beds are occupied by COVID patients.
Analysts say they expect supply-chain issues to cause widespread shortages, less selection and higher prices for a number of popular holiday gifts, including gaming consoles, TVs, toys and sneakers.
With four projected starters on the reserve/COVID-19 list, one of the NFL’s least-vaccinated teams is facing new scrutiny
Tuesday’s health department report contained the highest number of new deaths from COVID since Feb. 12. Meanwhile, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continued to climb statewide.
The highest student vaccination rates are at the largest IU campuses in Bloomington and Indianapolis. But rates were much lower at the five other principal regional campuses.
COVID-19 has been a concern for the Colts, who have consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in vaccination rates.
More than 5,500 new cases were reported among Indiana students in Monday’s weekly update of the state’s coronavirus school dashboard.
Dr. Kristina Box said in a statement that she “made an informed decision” to take off her mask while dancing or talking at a recent family wedding with guests fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Several social media comments called Box’s actions hypocritical.
Roche Diagnostics is requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for all 8,000 people in its U.S. workforce, including about 4,500 in Indianapolis. Employees will have until Nov. 15 to get fully vaccinated, or will be terminated, the company said in a statement.
After a surge in bookings early this summer, U.S. airline passengers are planning fewer trips as the spread of the coronavirus delta variant continues to discourage travel.
The state reported 2,916 new COVID cases, raising the cumulative total to 855,031. The cumulative number increased by 11,331 cases over Friday’s report.
Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box pointed out that the vast majority of people showing up at hospitals needing treatment for COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
The state reported another 21 deaths from COVID-19, raising the cumulative death toll to 13,936.
Employers are increasingly moving from luring workers to get their shots to using threats, workplace experts say, frustrated by vaccine holdouts and emboldened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this week.
