While state health officials are optimistic with the declines in COVID-19 cases, slow vaccination uptake and the ongoing impact on hospitals remain concerns. State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box says COVID hospitalizations are down, but the number of Hoosiers hospitalized overall is up, as hospitals resume other types of in-patient care.
“This means that beds and staffing are stretched to capacity or beyond capacity in many hospitals,” Box said during a press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wednesday. “Many of our hospitals are still having to go on diversion for their emergency departments and their ICUs, although we’ve seen a decline in the total number of diversion hours.”
She says National Guard hospital crisis response teams are being deployed to help ease the burden.
Of those who are being hospitalized due to COVID-19, Box says 95 percent are unvaccinated.
Indiana Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver said about 10,000 vaccine doses are being administered each day in Indiana, but the state has to do better. “If we continue at that pace, it could be well over another year before we achieve sufficient levels of immunizations to provide robust protection for the population at large, and none of us want that,” Weaver said.
She said that only a third of children age 12 to 15 have been vaccinated. Meanwhile, Dr. Box was concerned that many pregnant women, who are at an especially high risk of COVID-19 complications, haven’t been vaccinated, either. “The COVID-19 vaccine is safe to get if you are pregnant,” Box said. “Please do not put yourself or your baby at unnecessary risk.”
Box also clarified the Indiana Department of Health will continue to try to update its online dashboard as close to noon ET each day as possible, although it’s not guaranteed to update until 5:00 p.m.
