While Indiana’s COVID-19 numbers appear to be trending in the right direction, health officials are concerned that more infectious variants are on their way.
“It’s kind of a race,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said during Wednesday’s press conference. “We’re trying to get as much vaccine as we possibly can into the arms of those individuals that we know are going to have the most adverse reaction to getting sick with COVID-19, and it’s very important that we do that.”
Box said 12 cases of the U.K. variant have been confirmed so far in Indiana. “We know that there are many, many more cases than that,” she added, “and we do know that it is a much more transmissible virus because we have other countries that we can look at and see what the increased transmissibility was and is with those variants.”
She said the variants seen in South Africa and Brazil haven’t been identified yet in Indiana, but potential cases are being investigated. Dr. Box stressed that it’s still important to wear a mask, practice social distancing, stay home if you’re sick, and get tested if you have symptoms.
