Beginning Friday, January 8, Indiana residents that are 80 years of age or older may begin setting appointments to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Starting at 9 a.m. that morning, Indiana will open an online appointment system at ourshot.in.gov.
Each state is allowed to make their own decision about who is eligible for vaccination, while limited supplies continue to be made available. According to state officials, Hoosiers 80 years old and older account for 19% of the total hospitalizations and 52% of the state’s deaths due to coronavirus. Those living in extended care facilities are already beginning to receive vaccinations and are not required to make appointments online.
Family members can log on beginning Friday morning to sign up qualifying relatives, so long as the person comes to their appointment with a photo ID to prove their identity. (If no photo ID is available, officials may require other forms of identification.)
Vaccinations will be administered at the Noble County Public Library in Albion, a site previously announced by Noble County Health Department and Emergency Management officials as Noble County’s public vaccine clinic site. Individuals with appointments will be able to enter the lower level of the library, on the north side, where registration, administration of the vaccine, and observation will take place to ensure a smooth process.
Upon arrival into a triage area, individuals will be screened to ensure they have an appointment and to collect their insurance information. Though the vaccine is free to receive, insurance companies may be billed to help cover the costs of administration. A second dose of the Moderna vaccine is required, so a second appointment will be made with each individual when they receive the initial dose.
Individuals who are unable to access the internet can call 2-1-1 and get help setting up an appointment between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. starting Friday.
According to a webinar promoted by Greater Fort Wayne Inc. earlier this week, Indiana’s county health departments will be administering the Moderna vaccine, at least initially. The Pfizer vaccine is not likely to be administered to the general public due to storage requirements. As other vaccines are approved for use, they may also be administered. (View related slides here.)
The Moderna vaccine is an mRNA vaccine that does not include any live virus, which means there is no chance of contracting coronavirus as a result of getting vaccinated. Individuals may experience mild side affects of the vaccination, which doctors say is a sign the body’s immune system is reacting as it should, building up immunity to the proteins that enable coronavirus to infect cells. Most symptoms last only a day or two.
According to the Indiana COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard, 454 Noble County healthcare workers have already received a vaccine.
No time frame has been announced for when the next wave of vaccinations will occur or who will be eligible, though likely it will be individuals ages 70 and older. Eligibility will depend how many doses are delivered to the state and how many people sign up to get them. The state is expecting to receive about 78,000 doses per week through the end of January, so it may be weeks before the next group of eligible citizens is announced.
(Credit to KPC Media for portions of this report.)
