Health officials want to vaccinate people as soon as possible, but some Hoosiers remain hesitant. “We are in a race between the vaccine and the variants, and we want the vaccine to win,” Indiana Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver said during Wednesday’s COVID-19 press conference.
She suggested that Hoosiers encourage their family members to sign up. “Please don’t wait,” she said. “It is heartbreaking for us health care providers when we take care of somebody who has COVID and is sick from COVID and they have met that eligibility criteria for some time.”
While vaccine hesitancy is understandable, it’s still a big concern, according to Gary City Health Commissioner Dr. Roland Walker. “Particularly in the African American community, there’s distrust because there’s been some experimentation, there’s been misinformation, mistreatment in the African American community,” Walker said during Wednesday’s press conference. “But I’m here to tell you, I’ve had the vaccine. I’ve had my octogenarian parents have the vaccine. I’ve all my aunts have the vaccine that are of age. I’ve encouraged all of my friends, family members, coworkers to get the vaccine. I’ve been fully vaccinated for I don’t even know how long now, a month, month and a half, and I’ve done very well.”
Efforts are underway to educate Hoosiers about the vaccine. State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said health officials are reviewing data and looking for gaps in vaccinations. “We can know, maybe that’s a Latinx community, maybe that’s an African American community, maybe that is a rural area,” she explained. “And then we’re working within our communities to get trusted leaders within that community who have been vaccinated and educating those individuals about how they can sign up and educate their community members.”
Dr. Weaver said that all three of the vaccines that are currently available are highly effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths. She recommended that Hoosiers get whichever one is available as soon as they’re eligible to get it.
