Indiana researchers say vaccine won't lead to overnight changes in COVID-19 trends |

CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Tuesday was another day of COVID-19 vaccinations for frontline health care workers in Kentucky and Indiana.

The latest trend showed 4,347 new cases Tuesday, along with 129 deaths in which the virus was a contributing factor. But health professionals believe the arrival of the vaccine is going to change that.

For nearly a year, the Regenstrief Institute has been delving into COVID-19's impact on Indiana.

"We've actually been tracing the virus and the pandemic in Indiana since early March," said Dr. Brian Dixon, director of public health informatics with Regenstrief. "At the beginning of the pandemic, we definitely saw a dramatic rise when we began to test people for COVID-19."

Dixon said stay-at-home orders helped reduce the trend, but as of Tuesday, Indiana has reported 434,642 total coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, according to a news release from the Indiana State Department of Health. As of Tuesday, 6,657 Indiana residents have died from the virus.

"September is when we noticed that cases and hospitalizations began to creep back up in the state of Indiana," Dixon said.

But a weekend special delivery brought Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine and new hope that the trend is about to change.

"This is an exciting day for Clark Memorial Health," said Martin Padgett, CEO of Clark Memorial Health. "It's an exciting day for our community and an exciting day for our nation as we start day one to get out of the pandemic."

On Monday, health care workers across the state, including Clark Memorial Hospital, received the first of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. State health officials say, by the end of the week, more than 50 Indiana hospitals and clinics will receive additional doses of the vaccine. Dixon said people should not expect to see overnight results.

"We're anticipating probably eight to nine months for the state to be able to vaccinate enough people to achieve what we often call herd immunity," Dixon said.

Dixon said the bigger impact will happen after the next round of vaccines arrive.