INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s rate of COVID-19 vaccination shots has remained sluggish in recent weeks while coronavirus-related hospitalizations have slowly climbed to their highest number since February.
State health department statistics updated Wednesday show that about 2 million people have been fully vaccinated in Indiana, or about 37% of those ages 16 and older.
Indiana’s vaccination rate has remained at about 40,000 people a day over the past three weeks. That is down from the state’s peak of more than 50,000 a day in early April.
State health officials have said they are worried about increased risk from more contagious coronavirus variants at a time when so many people aren’t immunized.
The health department’s weekly tracking map updated Wednesday showed four of the five Indiana counties that border Michigan continue to show moderate risk of COVID-19 spread.
Those counties have orange risk ratings — the second highest of the four ratings. Most other northern Indiana counties have the next-highest yellow rating. Indiana officials have been watching those northern counties because Michigan continues to have the country’s highest infection rate.
Indiana hospitals, meanwhile, reported treating just more than 1,000 coronavirus patients as of Tuesday. That is up about 85% since mid-March.
