1,045,945 cases in Ohio; 433,352 in Kentucky; 701,971 in Indiana

On Apr 14, 2021

The COVID-19 outbreak is continuing to change everyday life for millions of Americans. Leaders across the county, including the Tri-State area, are providing daily updates on confirmed cases, deaths and measures taking to curb the spread of the virus.

Here, you can get the latest information on the coronavirus in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana as well as resources to be prepared and keep your family safe.

LATEST CASE NUMBERS: Ohio, 1,045,945, 18,917 deaths | Kentucky 433,352 cases, 6,257 deaths | Indiana, 701,971 cases, 12,782 deaths

Educational resources: CLICK HERE to access online learning resources

CORONAVIRUS IN OHIO

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and state health officials are advising all vaccine providers in the state to temporarily pause using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The decision is in response to a statement made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following extremely rare blood-clotting events of six people in the U.S. after receiving the vaccine.

CDC, FDA recommend US pause use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine over blood clot concerns

In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they were investigating clots in six women that occurred six to 13 days after vaccination. The clots were observed in the sinuses of the brain along with reduced platelet counts — making the usual treatment for blood clots, the blood thinner heparin, potentially “dangerous.”

More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S., the vast majority with no or mild side effects.

The other two authorized vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, make up the vast share of COVID-19 shots administered in the U.S. and are not affected by the pause.

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet Wednesday to discuss the cases and the FDA has also launched an investigation into the cause of the clots and low platelet counts.

“Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, and Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a joint statement.

They are recommending that people who were given the J&J vaccine who are experiencing severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after receiving the shot contact their health care provider.

Officials say they also want to educate vaccine providers and health professionals about the “unique treatment” required for this type of clot.

Johnson & Johnson said it was aware of the reports of “thromboembolic events,” or blood clots, but that no link to its vaccine had been established.

“We are aware that thromboembolic events including those with thrombocytopenia have been reported with COVID-19 vaccines,” said Johnson & Johnson in a statement. “At present, no clear causal relationship has been established between these rare events and the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.”

The J&J vaccine received emergency use authorization from the FDA in late February with great fanfare, with hopes that its single-dose and relatively simple storage requirements would speed vaccinations across the country. Yet the shot only makes up a small fraction of the doses administered in the U.S. as J&J has been plagued by production delays and manufacturing errors at the Baltimore plant of a contractor.

Last week the drugmaker took over the facility to scale up production in hopes of meeting its commitment to the U.S. government of providing about 100 million doses by the end of May.

Only about 9 million of the company’s doses have been delivered to states and are awaiting administration, according to CDC data.

Officials with the Ohio Department of Health said they are following this situation closely.

CORONAVIRUS IN KENTUCKY

Kentucky will pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the governor announced Tuesday following a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

“First, we have very little J&J vaccine in Kentucky as compared to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Those vaccines — Pfizer and Moderna – are still entirely safe and are incredibly effective,” the governor said.

Beshear said that the decision to pause distribution of the vaccine across the state was made “in an abundance of caution,” as only six people out of more than 6.8 million had the side effect.

In a joint statement Tuesday, the CDC and FDA said they were investigating clots in six women that occurred six to 13 days after vaccination. The clots were observed in the sinuses of the brain along with reduced platelet counts — making the usual treatment for blood clots, the blood thinner heparin, potentially “dangerous.”

More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S., the vast majority with no or mild side effects.

The other two authorized vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, make up the vast share of COVID-19 shots administered in the U.S. and are not affected by the pause.

CORONAVIRUS IN INDIANA

The Indiana Department of Health announced Wednesday that 1,233 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

That brings the number of Indiana residents now known to have had the novel coronavirus to 701,971 following corrections to the previous day’s dashboard.

To date, 12,782 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 20 from the previous day. Another 405 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record.

A total of 3,311,123 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 3,307,770 on Tuesday. A total of 9,293,614 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the state Department of Health since Feb. 26, 2020.

Hoosiers age 16 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

As of Wednesday, a total of 3,519,666 doses have been administered in Indiana.

This includes 2,054,305 first doses and 1,465,361 individuals who are fully vaccinated. The fully vaccinated number represents individuals who have received a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and those who received the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Symptoms:

According to the CDC, the following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure: Fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Emergency warning signs include:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

This chart from Prospect Pediatrics compares COVID-19 symptoms to the cold and flu:

Resources:

– Ohio coronavirus hotline: 833-427-5634

– Kentucky coronavirus hotline: (800) 722-5725

– Indiana general questions can be directed to the ISDH Epidemiology Resource Center at 317-233-7125 (317-233-1325 after hours) or e-mail [email protected].

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website

What to do if you think you have it:

Officials have urged people to be conscious not to overwhelm the health care system. This graphic will help you decide when it is time to see a physician.