The COVID-19 vaccine is proving to be effective, but Indiana still has some work to do to convince people to get it. State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box says there’s growing evidence that vaccines offer significant protection.
“Studies show that individuals fully immunized or those who are two weeks beyond their second dose have a 90-percent decrease in getting infected with COVID-19 and that the vaccine is 99-percent effective at preventing severe illness and death,” Box said during a press conference Wednesday. “This further underscores the importance of everyone getting vaccinated as soon as possible.”
But Indiana has been trailing its neighbors when it comes to vaccination rates, and Indiana Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver says demand is going down. “I think the bottom line is that we have a lot of work to do, and really, I think it’s all of our individual responsibilities to help talk to others, encourage others,” she said. “I know people at small dinner parties that have convinced other people at the dinner parties to go ahead and sign up and get vaccinated. So honestly, at this point, it’s whatever it takes.”
Dr. Box said many rural areas, in particular, are seeing low vaccination rates, which she attributes more to vaccine hesitancy than to lack of access. “So we are working with the Rural Health Association, with Purdue Extension, and Farm Bureau to determine how we can work together to increase that vaccination rate in our rural population,” Box added.
In larger population centers, Weaver says many people were still unaware of the mass vaccination clinics in Gary and Indianapolis until the state sent emergency alerts to cell phones. After that, turnout doubled. Now, health officials say they’re encouraging vaccination sites to offer walk-in service, and they’re working to make it easier for primary care providers to administer the vaccine in their own offices.
Box says it’s heartbreaking for emergency room providers to have patients die from COVID-19, when there’s a vaccine available. Vaccination information is available at ourshot.in.gov.
