ISDH extends vaccination eligibility to Hoosiers 50 and older
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hoosiers age 50 and older are now eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination.
Gov. Eric Holcomb made the announcement Wednesday during his weekly coronavirus briefing.
Other people eligible to sign up for the vaccine in Indiana include health care workers and first responders. For more information, click here.
Indiana State Department of Health says people 50 years and older make up over 35% of the state’s population, but represent 80% of the COVID-19 hospitalizations and 98% of all COVID-19 deaths.
Holcomb said he will receive his first vaccination shot on Friday.
Dr. Lindsay Weaver, chief medical officer for ISDH, on Wednesday also announced the state will continue to make eligibility decisions based on age.
“Because data show the older you are, the greater your risks are for hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” Weaver said.
Opening more vaccine to more Hoosiers is solely dependent on the availability of vaccine, she said.
According to Weaver, Indiana is not expected to receive more Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses for a few more weeks.
Indiana State Department of Health on Wednesday reported nine more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the Hoosier death toll to 12,200.