Officials Provide COVID-19 Update In Marion County

Indianapolis city and health officials provided a COVID-19 update Wednesday.

Marion County updated restrictions on large outdoor events to allow 50 percent capacity, in line with new CDC guidance. The move comes as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway plans to allow 40 percent capacity at this year’s 500.

Currently, 26 percent of Marion County residents are vaccinated. Marion County Public Health Department Director Dr. Virginia Caine said the shot is the way back to normalcy.

“By reducing the rate of transmission, it gives the virus less chance to mutate and turn into more variant strains, shortening the length of this pandemic,” Caine said.

Marion County is reporting the lowest number of older residents with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with that population having the highest percentage of vaccination.

The county’s positivity rate among all tests is hovering around five percent, with a slight increase in new cases and emergency room visits.

Caine said the county will focus on local efforts to improve vaccinations including reaching out to Black and Brown communities that report lower rates of vaccination.

“We have a lot of patients in different racial in ethic groups, whether it’s from poverty, that don’t have access to a regular provider so they are less prone to receiving the education,” Caine said.

The county has clinics open for walk in vaccinations and offers all three types of vaccinations.