INDIANAPOLIS — Here are Thursday’s latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic, including the latest news on COVID-19 vaccinations and testing in Indiana.
Registrations for the vaccine are now open for Hoosiers 12 and older through the Indiana State Department of Health. This story will be updated over the course of the day with more news on the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Latest US, world numbers
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There have been more than 39.39 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 3:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 642,000 deaths recorded in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 218.44 million confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 4.54 million deaths. More than 5.33 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness like pneumonia, or death.
Gov. Holcomb’s new COVID-19 executive order allows schools to end close contact quarantines
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a new executive order Wednesday, a day after extending the state’s COVID-19 public health emergency.
The Indiana Department of Health will be issuing COVID-19 control measures to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The measure will allow for schools and day cares to modify quarantine provisions if they meet state guidelines.
Schools and day cares that have mask requirements that are consistently followed throughout the day do not have to quarantine students, teachers and staff who are close contacts and aren’t showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Schools and day cares will also have to continue contact tracing with notifications to the local health department, parents, teachers and staff that were in close contact.
The hope is the new order will serve as an incentive for districts to mask up and keep quarantine numbers down.
Click here to read more about the latest executive order.
