Hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Indiana climb near 3-month high
The Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 93 more deaths from COVID-19, increasing the state’s pandemic death toll to 17,230.
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Holcomb frustrated with ‘absurd’ vaccine-refusal reasons
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said the pandemic remains a real threat and is taking lives, but he maintains that the state’s role is to provide vaccines and other resources, not impose vaccine requirements or mask mandates.
First lab results show omicron variant has ability to avoid vaccine antibodies
Initial data indicate that omicron may be more transmissible even than delta, the variant that became dominant throughout the world this summer.
Canadian drugmaker says its COVID-19 vaccine is effective
The Quebec City company said it will seek Canadian approval “imminently” and has also begun the process to file with regulators in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries.
Companies delaying office returns amid omicron uncertainty
Major corporations that had planned to shepherd all their employees back into offices in early 2022 now have to decide whether those dates make sense in light of further evidence of the pandemic’s unpredictability.
Hospitals set new pandemic record, with 70% of staffed beds in use
Across the state, 2,408 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 Saturday. That’s up from a recent low of 1,209 on Nov. 6, and six times the number of people hospitalized from COVID-19 at the year-to-date low mark of 369 on June 24.
Omicron possibly more infectious because of ties to common cold coronavirus, study says
The omicron variant is likely to have picked up genetic material from another virus that causes the common cold in humans, according to a new preliminary study.
Health officials say early reports encouraging about omicron
U.S. health officials said while the omicron variant of is rapidly spreading throughout the country, early indications suggest it might be less dangerous than delta, which continues to drive a surge of hospitalizations.
New coronavirus vaccine may eventually be needed for omicron, says BioNTech CEO
CEO Ugur Sahin told Reuters on Friday that he could foresee a scenario where coronavirus vaccine shots became annual, like flu shots.
Omicron coronavirus variant found in multiple U.S. states
The omicron variant of COVID-19, which had been undetected in the United States before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by late Thursday.
Statewide hospitalizations from COVID-19 continue to rise
COVID-19 patients now occupy 26.3% of Indiana’s intensive care unit beds.
First U.S. case of COVID-19 omicron variant identified
A person in California who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 became the first in the United States to have an identified case of the omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday.
COVID could cost the tourism industry $1.6T this year, and omicron might make it worse
The return of stricter COVID-19 restrictions to fight the latest variant has already left some travelers stranded. For many tourism businesses, it’s also threatening hopes of an upcoming holiday boost this year.
U.S. moving to toughen testing requirement for travelers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Tuesday statement that it was working toward requiring that all air travelers to the U.S. be tested for COVID-19 within a day before boarding their flight.
FDA panel backs first-of-a-kind COVID-19 pill from Merck
The Food and Drug Administration panel voted 13-10 that the antiviral drug’s benefits outweigh its risks, including potential birth defects if used during pregnancy.
State reports 117 more COVID-19 deaths, jump in hospitalizations
Indiana’s top medical groups pleaded Tuesday for more people to get COVID-19 vaccine shots as the state is in the midst of a new surge of infections and hospitalizations.
New info shows omicron spread wider earlier than thought
New findings about the coronavirus’s omicron variant made it clear Tuesday that the emerging threat slipped into countries before their defenses were up.
FDA panel set to review Merck’s COVID-19 pill
If authorized, Merck’s pill would be the first that U.S. patients could take at home to ease symptoms and speed recovery, but new information released last week paints a less compelling picture of the drug than when the Merck first publicized its early results in October.
Powell says COVID variant clouds inflation, economic outlook
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says that the appearance of a new COVID-19 variant could slow the economy and hiring.
Biden vaccine mandate for health workers blocked in 10 states
A federal judge on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on thousands of health care workers in 10 states that had brought the first legal challenge against the requirement.