Unvaccinated Hoosiers make up 98% of COVID-19 cases in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana State Health Department said Hoosiers who are unvaccinated make up 98% of the current COVID-19 cases in the state. The department tweeted out that if people are not vaccinated, their chance of being hospitalized with COVID-19 is 1 in 237. If people are vaccinated against COVID-19, their chance of being hospitalized is 1 in 18,795.
With hospitalizations increasing, the CDC director is warning of how contagious the delta variant can be. Doctors said getting more people vaccinated will prevent more aggressive variants in the future.
“Viruses cannot mutate unless they replicate. You protect the vulnerable targets, who are unvaccinated people by vaccinating them. And when you do so, you do a very, very strong blocking of the evolution of variants that could be problematic. The ultimate end game of all this is vaccination.” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to President Biden.
The CDC said fully vaccinated people who get breakthrough COVID-19 infections can transmit the virus. However, less than 1% of people who are fully vaccinated have gotten a breakthrough infection.
In Indiana, about 44% of the population is fully vaccinated. However, in Carmel, that number is closer to 80%. Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard is urging the rest of the state to follow their lead and for people to get the shot.
“We need to move forward and do what is best for our neighbors, what is best for our community. We need to take care of those who are vulnerable in the community,” said Mayor Brainard. “Well, the way to accomplish that is to get herd immunity through higher levels of vaccination.”
Across the country, the CDC says about 49% of Americans are fully vaccinated. Most children are not in that category and they are becoming some of the most vulnerable in the community.