Andy East | The Republic
Eight more people in the Columbus area have died from COVID-19, raising the death toll from the virus so far this month to 31, according to the Indiana Department of Health.
The deaths came one day after state health officials reported seven other deaths in the area, which includes Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Shelby Counties.
A total of 792 people in the area have died from COVID-19 since the virus arrived across the United States for the first time in spring 2020.
So far, 295 of those deaths — or 37% — have occurred after vaccines were made available to anyone in Indiana age 16 and up.
Two of the new deaths were reported in both Jennings and Shelby counties, as well as one death each in Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson and Decatur counties, state figures show.
Bartholomew County, for its part, remains on pace for 22 deaths this month, which would be one of the deadliest months of the pandemic.
A total of 234 people in Bartholomew County have died from COVID-19 so far, while Jennings County closes in on the milestone of 100 deaths.
Though confirmed cases of COVID-19 have dropped in many parts of the country in recent weeks, the virus is still infecting more than 130,000 Americans each day and killing more than 2,000 every day, The Associated Press reported.
Nearly 30,000 eligible Bartholomew County residents have yet to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The number of eligible Bartholomew County residents who have gotten at least one dose of a vaccine has fallen considerably behind the national rate.
Just 64.3% of Bartholomew County residents ages 5 and up have received at least one dose, compared to nearly 81% nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
