ISDH now offers vaccine to 55 and older; 3 mass vaccination sites to open
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – More Hoosiers have are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Indiana as the Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday lowered the vaccine age requirement to 55 and older.
Other people eligible to signup for the vaccine in Indiana include health care workers and first responders. For more information, click here.
Additionally, three mass vaccination clinics will open up across the state.
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway: 4790 W. 16th St., Indianapolis; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Enter through main gate off 16th Street; participants will remain in their cars for their vaccines.
- Ivy Tech Community College: 8204 County Road 311, Sellersburg; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 12-13. Participants will remain in their cars for their vaccines.
- University of Notre Dame Compton Family Ice Arena: 100 Compton Family Ice Arena, Notre Dame; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 26-27.
Lisa and Jim Riggins said Tuesday they are excited to finally be eligible to get their COVID-19 vaccines. They are in the 55-and-older group that can now roll up their sleeves and receive the vaccination. They hope it will give them a little more room to breath. “We’ve been outside on walks in the winter more than we ever have. We are excited about possibly traveling more,” Lisa said.
The Indiana State Department of Health said it’s preparing to vaccinate 40,000 people in the three mass vaccination sites.
The Riggins will be among the thousands of people who will be getting their vaccines at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. President Doug Boles said the arrival of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine changed the game for the speedway. “The challenge up to this point was there hadn’t been enough vaccines to justify having a site here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now with that emergency use recommendation for the J&J vaccine and now that it’s available in Indianapolis, Indiana, it made sense.”
The Riggins are big race fans and believe their appointments are fate. They hope other people take advantage of the mass vaccination options. Jim said, “I just think that the mass vaccination sites will help take care of so many more people. Even some of the smaller towns now will have less of an issue getting shots rolled out.”
Boles at IMS said he hopes this effort sends a message to people who are on the fence about getting a vaccine. “We are just really proud to be part of this. We are proud to help out Hoosiers. We want to make sure we can all get ourselves in a position to put all of this behind us and get back to a more normal life here as soon as possible. Hopefully, we can do that and have as many people in the stands for the Indy 500 in the next 89 days.”
The Indianapolis 500 will be May 30. Boles has said he expects to have fans in the stands, but specifics have yet to be announced.
Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 31 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 12,192 Hoosiers.