Indiana sees decline in first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccinations – WANE

INDIANAPOLIS Data from the Indiana Department of Health shows a mostly steady decline in first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Data from the Indiana Department of Health shows during the delta surge, first- and second-dose vaccinations peaked at a 7-day average of more than 12,000 per day in late August.

As of Friday, that number has dropped by half to a 7-day average of 6,080 first- and second-dose vaccinations a day.

Several Indiana vaccine providers say theyve seen the decline firsthand.

We are getting some that are coming in for their first and second dose, but the majority are the boosters, said Tracy Anderson, COVID-19 vaccine clinics manager for Community Health Network. I would say 80% at least are booster.

Anderson said her team is focused on reaching more students by running vaccine clinics at schools.

We wanted to make sure that population had the opportunity to get vaccinated, and its not always easy for those parents to get to clinics, she said.

Other providers are also working to make the vaccine available in more places.

I just got off a call with community outreach getting into some of our high-risk community settings and offering vaccines there, said Mary Kay Foster, special pathogens program manager for IU Health.

Foster said she believes health care providers need to educate patients about the potential consequences of COVID if theyre not vaccinated.

What that hospital bill is going to be like, she said. I dont think people realize how expensive the care for COVID truly is.

Data from the state health department shows 56.4% of eligible Hoosiers are fully vaccinated.

On Friday, Gov. Eric Holcomb acknowledged it will take time to convince some Hoosiers to get the shot.

Well continue to lean into making sure that those resources are readily accessible, easy to access, and we try to be as persuasive as we can, Holcomb said.

Health officials urge people who have questions about the vaccine to speak with their doctor.

The Indiana Department of Health has not posted data on booster shots to the vaccine dashboard yet, but officials hope to get make that information available soon, according to a spokesperson.

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Indiana sees decline in first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccinations - WANE