Local News

State officials make push to increase vaccinations as variant spreads

April 28, 2021

Syringes loaded with the Moderna vaccine on Wednesday at the Edinburgh Family Health Center. Scott Roberson | Daily Journal

After weeks of waning COVID-19 vaccine interest, state health officials on Wednesday shared more about their next steps to try and reach herd immunity.

In the Indiana Department of Health’s first new conference in several weeks, Dr. Lindsay Weaver, state medical examiner, said herd immunity is possible this year. However, it will require more intentional messaging about the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines reaching all Hoosiers who are eligible.

So far, nearly 1.8 million Hoosiers are fully vaccinated, representing 33% of residents 16 and older, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Additionally, 46.5% of Hoosiers have either been vaccinated, are partially vaccinated or have an appointment scheduled, data shows.

More than 41,800 Johnson County residents are fully vaccinated, which is 33.8% of residents 16 and older, according to the state health department. A total of 44% of all local residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of a vaccine, data shows.

Weaver and Dr. Kristina Box, state health commissioner, said there is proof that vaccines are working in the low case counts and hospitalization rates that continue to persist in much of the state. Though a more contagious variant of the virus has prompted a 50% increase in cases and doubling of hospitalizations since mid-March, the vaccines have helped keep those numbers far below last winter’s peak, Box said.

With nearly 1,100 cases of the United Kingdom variant diagnosed through genomic sequencing, it is now clear the variant is becoming the prevalent strain of the virus in Indiana. The variant has caused nearly all of the northern counties in the state to move into the “yellow” and “orange,” according to the state’s color-coded metrics, due to their proximity to Michigan, a national hotspot for the variant, she said.

The variant is about 1.5 times more transmissible than the original strain of COVID-19, and appears to be more likely to yield a more serious infection, Box said.

Data also shows that there is a significant uptick in new infections among those in their 20s and 30s, who did not have access to the vaccine until a month ago. There is also a significant increase in hospitalizations among those groups, though the majority of hospitalizations are still among the oldest Hoosiers, she said.

To make sure cases remain low as the variant spreads, Box and Weaver encourage everyone who is eligible to get a vaccine as soon as possible.

To make the vaccine more accessible, mass vaccination clinics are being held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Roosevelt High School in Gary, and both are offering the Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccines on a walk-in basis. Appointments are still available, but are no longer required at these two sites.

State health officials are also encouraging vaccination sites around the state to offer walk-in vaccines, especially if a clinic has open appointments. The Johnson County Health Department is offering walk-in vaccines at its Compass Park clinic until 3 p.m. each day.

Instead of shopping around, Weaver encourages Hoosiers to get the first vaccine they can. All of the vaccines are safe and effective, she said. New data shows fully vaccinated people are 90% less likely to become infected, and have a 99% chance of avoiding a serious infection, she said.

“We continue to believe, for the majority of people, that the best vaccine is one you can get in your arm today,” Weaver said.

Hoosiers shouldn’t have reservations about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine following a brief federal and state pause of it. Scientists found that women 50 and younger have a seven in 1 million chance of developing a severe blood clot, while women older than 50 and men of all ages have less than one in 1 million chance of the complication, she said.

The focus for state health officials has turned to getting that message of safety and effectiveness to all Hoosiers, especially rural Hoosiers who have shown more hesitancy toward the vaccine.

Since January, when vaccinations began, the state health department has had a goal of reaching all Hoosiers through a variety of channels, from social media and TV commercials, to bus wraps and highway signs, to a recent emergency alert that went out to central Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday.

The messages can only go so far. That’s why Hoosiers should help spread the word to family and friends, Weaver said.

“It is all of our individual responsibility to help increase vaccination rates,” she said.

Whether it comes from an individual or the state, it is a message that will save lives, Box said.

“Seeing people die from COVID when they had the chance to get a vaccine is almost more heartbreaking than not having a vaccine at all,” Box said.

IF YOU GO

Here is a look at how anyone 16 and older can get a vaccine:

Johnson Memorial Hospital

When: Vaccines available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays.

Where: 1125 W Jefferson St, Franklin. Parking in Blue Lot H.

Type: Multiple.