Officials from the Indiana Department of Health are encouraging residents to get one of the three available vaccines against COVID-19.
Indiana Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver commented during Friday’s press conference that the demand for the vaccine is declining.
“We knew that this would happen,” stated Dr. Weaver. “Unfortunately, it is happening when we are seeing a resurgence of cases due to the Delta variant. Last week we saw the highest number of first dose vaccinations since the end of May. Since the beginning of the month, the percentage of fully vaccinated individuals has increased among every age group. The biggest increase has been among our 12-to-15-year-old age group which has gone from 17 percent fully vaccinated to 21 percent. The next highest increase occurred among Hoosiers aged 16 to 19 where more than 34 percent are now fully vaccinated.”
For those who are fearful of the vaccine, Dr. Weaver urges plenty of research. She also discussed breakthrough cases.
“I want to stress that breakthrough infections for vaccinated people are still very low and tend to be mild, but we are finding that they are more likely with the Delta variant than they are with any of the other strains that we have seen. No vaccine is 100 percent. We hear every year from people who have received the flu vaccine but still get the flu, but vaccines do prevent many cases of illness and are especially effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths. Ninety-eight percent of the new COVID-19 vaccines we have seen since January are occurring in people who are not vaccinated. Ninety-six percent of our deaths have occurred in unvaccinated individuals.”
She said there has been talk of a third booster shot, but Indiana health officials are looking at the data and evidence to determine how to roll it out if it is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The COVID-19 vaccine is free and available to residents aged 12 and older. To find the nearest vaccination site, visit www.ourshot.in.gov or call 211.
