The Indiana Department of Health opened up the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to residents ages 65-69 this week and over 144,000 people in that age group have scheduled an appointment to get the first dose of the vaccine as of Wednesday.
Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box delivered those statistics during Governor Eric Holcomb’s press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
“To date, more than 875,000 unique Hoosiers ages 65 and older, along with our healthcare workers and first responders, have been vaccinated or have an upcoming appointment,” Dr. Box stated. “That includes 56 percent of Hoosiers ages 80 and older, 62 percent of Hoosiers ages 70 and older, and 46 percent of Hoosiers ages 65 to 69.
The numbers include 43,000 long-term care residents, 17,000 long-term care facility staff members and 63 percent of eligible health care workers and first responders.
Dr. Box noted that the National Pharmacy Vaccination Program will provide an additional 20,000 doses of vaccine in the state.
Governor Holcomb fielded many questions about when teachers would receive vaccines, and he pointed to the state’s vaccination distribution plan.
Holcomb commented, “We are trying to be as clear as we can about how we articulate our path going forward, that being that we’re looking at the folks who are most at risk of dying and/or being hospitalized. There are millions of people who are going to work every day that want vaccinated and we want them to be vaccinated. So, the faster we get it, the more that we get, the more we will work down.”
Dr. Box added that data has driven the statistics and how the state has put together the vaccination plan.
Meanwhile, the family of the late North Central High School Athletic Director Paul Loggan will be featured in a televised commercial during Sunday’s big game to urge Hoosiers to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Loggan died of COVID-19 and his son, Will, is featured in the commercial to deliver the message of his father’s legacy and his family’s experience with COVID-19.
