COVID hospitalizations have increased across the state, up 49% from four weeks ago; however, in contrast with past spikes, patients under 40 now comprise a large swath of the current rise. In January, 13% of COVID patients were under 40 whereas that group now composes 40% of those hospitalized. One factor is the rise of variants that have posed a larger threat to younger, not yet vaccinated populations. While the majority of COVID-related deaths have occurred in senior populations, their higher vaccination rate of roughly 2/3 of Hoosiers 80+ has also played a key role in reducing hospitalizations and deaths.
“Unfortunately, right now, the variants are picking up steam,” Governor Eric Holcomb said at a recent press conference. A statewide peak of 3,460 hospitalizations was recorded on November 30. Current numbers fall around 850.
More than 1.6 million Hoosiers are fully vaccinated, with 2.2 million fully or partially vaccinated. Over a quarter of Monroe County residents, around 33,000 individuals have been fully vaccinated with 43% reporting to have received at least one shot. Monroe County Health Department Health Administrator Penny Caudill stated that 75%-80% of the County will need to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity.
Officials have said that Monroe County’s extended restrictions and mandates will remain in effect until improvements are seen in the rates of vaccinations, hospitalizations, and positive cases. In an interview with WFIU/WTIU, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton said, “I’m very pleased. We’re one of the few counties in the state that has kept our restrictions tighter. I think it was a mistake to loosen restrictions in the state when we see these increases in cases and hospitalizations,” in reference to Governor Holcomb downgrading the statewide mask mandate to an advisory.
Last week, IU surpassed 400,000 mitigation tests for the Bloomington campus. The positivity rate decreased slightly from 0.38% to 0.33% but a jump in positivity rates among live-out greek-life students was seen, hitting 1.2% compared to 0.7% the week prior. The overall Bloomington campus rate remains the same from last week at 0.4%.
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