Indiana hospitalizations from COVID near seven-week high as case counts climb
Another 51 deaths from COVID-19 were reported to the Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday, raising the total to 16,788.
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White House to spend $1.5B to attract doctors to underserved communities
The pandemic has highlighted what has long been a barrier to accessing quality medical care in rural areas and communities of color: provider shortages.
Roche Diagnostics terminates ‘small number’ of workers for not getting COVID-19 vaccine
About 3,000 people work on the company’s large campus at 9115 Hague Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis and another 1,500 people work elsewhere across the region.
Indiana GOP bill stymies workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates
The bill is set on an extraordinary fast track for approval, with a single public hearing scheduled for Tuesday at the Statehouse followed by the House and Senate voting on final approval six days later.
Cap on drug price hikes for privately insured sparks battle
The main drug industry lobbying group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, says inflation rebates would undermine innovation that continues after medicines are approved.
Indiana COVID-19 hospitalizations up 31% over past two weeks as cases rise
The moving average of daily COVID-19 cases has climbed from 1,660 at the beginning of the month to 2,848, an increase of 71.6%.
Renewed Indiana pot legalization push faces GOP opposition
The Republican-dominated Legislature has not taken any action on bills submitted over the past decade for allowing medical marijuana or removing criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of the drug.
Fired exec at Community Health can pursue retaliation lawsuit, judge rules
U.S. District Judge Richard Young this week threw out most of Community Health’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Thomas Fischer, who served as the hospital system’s chief financial officer for eight years before he was fired in 2013.
Pfizer, U.S. ink $5.29B deal for possible COVID-19 treatment
Pfizer asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to authorize emergency use of the experimental pill, which has been shown to significantly cut the rate of hospitalizations and deaths among people with coronavirus infections.
For second time, Franciscan Health extends deadline for employee vaccinations
Franciscan issued a three-paragraph statement, saying it had “re-examined its next steps” for the COVID-19 vaccine and was now adopting a Jan. 4 deadline to comply with the federal mandate.
U.S. offering investment to boost COVID-19 vaccine capacity
The Biden administration is making billions of dollars available to drugmakers to expand domestic production of COVID-19 vaccines in the hopes of building capacity to produce an additional 1 billion shots per year to share with the world.
Indiana governor, GOP lawmakers look to end COVID-19 orders
Indiana’s governor is facing pressure from fellow Republicans to end the statewide COVID-19 public health emergency order that’s been in place since March 2020 even as the state has seen a recent jump of infections and hospitalizations.
GOP-majority court chosen to consider Biden vaccine mandate
The selection could be good news for those challenging the administration’s vaccine requirement, which includes officials in 27 Republican-led states, employers and several conservative and business organizations.
Boosters for all adults in U.S. could be OK’d by this weekend
Pfizer asked U.S. regulators last week to allow boosters of its COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to sign off on Pfizer’s application.
Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases climbing again
The Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 42 more COVID-19 deaths in the state, raising the total to 16,577.
Pfizer asks U.S. officials to approve promising COVID-19 pill
Pfizer reported earlier this month that its pill cut hospitalizations and deaths by 89% among high-risk adults who had early symptoms of COVID-19.
A dozen states, including Indiana, challenge health worker vaccine mandate
The latest suit, dated Monday, was filed in Louisiana on behalf of 12 states and comes less than a week after another lawsuit challenging the rule was filed in Missouri by a coalition of 10 states.
Four out of 10 Hoosier adults remain unvaccinated against COVID-19
The slow climb in the vaccination rate coincides with recent increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Johnson & Johnson to split into two, aim for faster growth
The company said Friday that it will separate its segment that sells Band-Aids, Listerine and over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol from its pharmaceutical and medical device business.
Biden health officials push to make COVID booster shots available to all adults
The debate comes at a critical time for the Biden administration, with top advisers growing increasingly fearful the country could slide backward into a fifth pandemic wave amid colder weather and declining vaccine protection.