Ball State, which highly encourages the COVID-19 vaccine, says about 62 percent of all registered students and 73 percent of employees report being vaccinated, as of earlier this week.

Indiana health officials have counted about 62,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines being tossed out in recent months as the number of people seeking the shots has fallen drastically.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful on everyone, but health care workers may be affected more than anyone. Some nurses are burnt out and planning to leave the profession. Meanwhile, colleges are preparing new graduates to take their place — and deal with the pressures of the job.

The Indiana Department of Health reported more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases Friday, crossing yet another milestone in its late summer surge.

Indiana, like many states in the U.S., is experiencing a rapid increase in the number of children in hospitals due to COVID-19. One in 38 kids with a positive COVID-19 test are hospitalized in Indiana.

The statewide patient count -- which two weeks ago was fewer than 1,000 -- prompted the Indiana Hospital Association to issue a warning and call for those who aren't yet vaccinated to do so immediately.

With lagging vaccination uptake and the delta variant’s appearance in late June, cases have skyrocketed again.

Mayor Tom Henry's office said he would be isolated for several days and remain in communication from home with other officials in Indiana’s second-largest city.

The state is in the midst of another COVID-19 surge. The delta variant of the virus has contributed to a more than 400 percent increase in the average number of new cases per day over the last month. In that same time, however, average new tests have only gone by up less than 200 percent.

As Indiana state health officials ramped up COVID-19 vaccination efforts this year, resources were diverted away from testing individuals for the virus. But within the past several weeks, the number of tests administered and the demand for tests has increased.