This week’s winter weather has prompted Indiana to wait until at least next week to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. During Wednesday’s press conference, Indiana Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver said that more than 43,000 appointments have been impacted by the winter storm.
“To further complicate matters this week, we have experienced delays in vaccine shipments due to the bad weather,” Weaver added. “We have not yet received our Moderna vaccines for this week. Therefore, unfortunately, more appointments will likely need to be rescheduled over the next couple of days.”
Of the more than 1.3 million vaccine doses the state’s gotten so far, Weaver said only 172 have been wasted. But she said she isn’t aware of any of those being due to the weather.
Governor Eric Holcomb said the federal government is promising a small increase in doses. But he said governors around the country are concerned that the federal government’s plan to set up its own vaccination network that would involve community health clinics would not be coordinated with the efforts already underway.
“We’re never going to turn away more doses,” Holcomb said. “We love that. But we also want to be able to answer questions from citizens or the press or anyone that asks, about who is getting doses in the State of Indiana.”
The COVID-19 vaccine is currently available to Hoosiers 65 and older, health care workers, long-term care residents, and first responders. The next phases will lower the minimum age down to 60 and then eventually down to 50, while also incorporating those with certain health conditions.
