Dr. Lindsay Weaver is the chief medical officer for the Indiana Department of Health. She said the surge is driven by both new COVID-19 hospitalizations and Hoosiers who had to delay care because of the pandemic.

The Indiana Department of Health announced Sunday that the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus was detected in the state.

Health officials in a southwestern Indiana county have turned to the state for help as they battle a worsening syphilis outbreak that began last summer.

Half of Indiana’s counties are now in the highest-risk level of COVID-19 spread as the latest infection surge across the state has pushed hospitalizations from the illness up 25% in the past week.

The Indiana Department of Health has launched a new resource for Hoosiers with questions about COVID-19 treatments. The hotline will help connect people to monoclonal antibody treatment centers.

The Indiana Department of Health has announced boosters are available for all Hoosiers 18 and older regardless of occupation, age or underlying health condition.

Indiana is considering lowering its threshold for when public health agencies address elevated blood lead levels in children — based on a nearly decade-old recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency recently changed that threshold again — and it’s unclear if the state will follow suit.

Indiana Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver said the state has already been preparing to get children under 12 vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Indiana Department of Health said it will update the dashboards at www.coronavirus.in.gov and www.ourshot.in.gov daily by 5 p.m.

Nearly all Indiana counties remain in the higher risk categories for COVID-19 spread on the state Health Department’s risk ratings.