The number of doses of COVID-19 vaccines given to Bartholomew County residents continues to decline even as health officials across the country warn of a highly contagious strain of coronavirus that is causing hospitalizations to rise in places with lower vaccination rates.
A total of 450 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered to Bartholomew County residents from this past Sunday to Thursday — 133 fewer doses than the same period the week before and on pace to be the lowest total since the first week of vaccinations in December, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
Only 225 people received their first dose or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine from Sunday to Thursday, state records show.
By comparison, 5,637 doses were administered to Bartholomew County residents the week ending April 10, including 3,321 people who received their first dose and 211 who got the J&J vaccines.
Overall, 38,912 Bartholomew County residents were fully vaccinated as of Friday morning — 46.4% of the county’s total population or 55% of eligible residents.
Currently, only about 48% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated — and some parts of the country have far lower immunization rates, places where the delta variant is surging, The Associated Press reported.
On Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said that’s leading to “two truths” — highly immunized swaths of America are getting back to normal while hospitalizations are rising in other places, according to wire reports.
“This rapid rise is troubling,” she told the AP. A few weeks ago the delta variant accounted for just over a quarter of new U.S. cases, but it now accounts for just over 50% — and in some places, such as parts of the Midwest, as much as 80%.
COVID-19 vaccination rates vary greatly in the Columbus area, state records show. Just 30% of Jennings County’s total population was fully vaccinated as of Friday morning.
A total of 17,418 Jackson County residents were fully vaccinated as of Friday, or 39% of the county’s total population.
