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Tuesday, January 25, 2022
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Atomic! State passes 20,000 pandemic death toll; Indiana data download; Klain a marked man? Biden's hot mic moment
Tuesday, January 25, 2022 10:26 AM

By BRIAN A. HOWEY, in Indianapolis

1. 20,000 Hoosiers die

Indiana's death toll passed the 20,000 mark, reaching 20,033 according to the Indiana State Department of Health on Monday. The state crossed the 10,000 death threshold on Jan. 6, 2020, meaning that just under half of these pandemic deaths occurred after the vaccine became available.

There have been 1,132 Hoosier deaths in January. According to the University of Washington's Health Metric and Evaluation site, just 54% of the state is fully vaccinated. The state reached its peak death count on Jan. 10 and forecasts that omicron may turn the pandemic into an endemic ... until the next variant storms across the globe. It forecasts 21,772 deaths by May 1. The state's first death occurred on March 16, 2020 when Roberta "Birdie" Shelton died at Community East Hospital. Since her death, we have experienced five surges during which 1.8 million Hoosiers have tested positive since March 1, 2020, according to the Regenstrief Institute.

Indiana is now facing a medical worker shortage. Indiana Hospital Associated President Brian Tabor told Indiana Public Media it will take five years to rebuild the state's hospital personnel. “I think the healthcare workforce is going to have to be rebuilt in a significant way,” Tabor said. “A report came out that speculated we may need five years to get back to 75% of the healthcare workforce that we had before the pandemic. 

2. Indiana data download

We've been monitoring the Hoosier condition beyond the pandemic. On Monday, the Indiana National Guard announced that 7,200 Afghan refugees have been resettled via Camp Atterbury, with the final 200 expected to depart by the end of this week. Gov. Eric Holcomb calls this chapter "one of Indiana's finest hours." Indiana added about 21,000 union members last year, according to an annual report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Indiana Public Media  reports that about 9% of workers in the state now belong to unions. Indiana’s life-sciences sector landed a record $433 million in venture funding last year, according to the IBJ. Central Indiana homebuilders filed 832 single-family building permits in 2021, up 6% from 2020, according to the IBJ. Indiana Donor Network reports that in 2021, the organization ensured that 949 lifesaving organs were transplanted into patients on the national transplant waiting list, a 43% increase since 2019. The transplants saved more than 800 people.

3. Record harvests in 2021

NWI Times'  Joseph Pete: Farmers in Indiana reported record-high corn and soybean yields in 2021. Indiana ranked fifth nationwide in both corn and soybean production last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state produced 1.03 billion bushels of corn, a 5% increase over 2020, according to USDA State Statician Nathanial Warenski. Famers planted 5.27 million acres of corn, a slight year-over-year increase. Hoosier farmers yielded 195 bushels per acre, an 8-bushel increase over 2020. 

4. Klain a marked man?

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain has been under fire lately but President Biden seemed to slam the door on a staff shakeup, saying at last week's marathon press, "I'm satisfied with the team." Klain has been criticized by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin in recent weeks. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal to the Washington Post: “I think that by and large he’s making the trains run on time — even though some of the boxcars may seem to be empty some of the time."

5. Biden's hot mic moment

President Biden had a hot mic moment on Monday, calling Fox reporter Peter Doocy a "stupid son of a bitch" after he asked "Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?” Biden dead panned: “It’s a great asset — more inflation. What a stupid son of a bitch.” Biden later called Doocy and apologized. U.S. Rep. Jim Banks tweeted, "Have we ever seen a President attack and malign the free press like Joe Biden has??" Duoh? Duoh!

Thanks for reading, folks, and stay warm. It's The Atomic!
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