INDIANAPOLIS — A strong warning Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director of another surge in COVID-19 across the country.
“I’ll lose the script and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said. “We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential from where we are, and so much reason for hope, but right now I’m scared.”
The director is citing a mix of restriction rollbacks and fast-spreading variants. Hospitalizations are up more than 10% in 17 states in the last week. Indiana is one of them.
“We have heard some reports from our member hospitals in the counties bordering our neighboring states that we’ve seen just a slight uptick over the last week,” said Laura McCaffrey, Indiana Hospital Association vice president of public affairs.
This comes as the state’s mask mandate turns to a mask advisory next week.
“Indiana I think is in a good place,” McCaffrey said. “It’s just reminding folks to practice those safety measures to prevent a surge from happening here like we’re seeing elsewhere.”
Elsewhere being Michigan, where hospitalizations have increased 633% for people ages 30-39, who are not yet vaccinated. While hospitalizations have decreased for their older population, who are vaccinated.
“In Michigan, the younger age group 30-39 is being hospitalized,” McCaffrey said. “It’s kind of shocking to see that but it’s possible.”
The Indiana Hospital Association is trying to avoid that for Indiana, encouraging younger Hoosiers to sign up as quickly as possible to get vaccinated, as eligibility opens to people 16 and older starting Wednesday.
McCaffrey said the more people who get vaccinated, could prevent a potential surge.
