The Monroe County Department of Health is now vaccinating residents at or above the age of 60, after the State of Indiana lowered the age of eligibility for vaccination to 60 Wednesday morning. The Monroe County Vaccination Clinic, located in the Monroe Convention Center, averages 800 vaccinations every week, Health Department Administrator Penny Caudill said.
The vaccination clinic opened for vaccinations Jan. 11 and has been scheduling vaccinations based on state guidelines for eligibility. Caudill said the clinic has not wasted a single vaccine dose since opening in January. Appointments can be made at this link from the state of Indiana website.
Indiana residents that are eligible for the vaccine include healthcare workers, first responders, and residents above the age of 60.
The vaccination site was opened for a media tour Wednesday morning. The clinic has six vaccination stations, distanced from one another and separated by plastic blue tarp. Each station has a sign listing the name of the vaccinator. A slideshow giving basic information about the vaccination process and advice for social distancing was shown to patients awaiting vaccination.
The Monroe Convention Center has donated the use of its location free of charge.
The clinic provides the Moderna vaccine, consisting of two doses 28 days apart.The clinic schedules an appointment for a second dose of the vaccination once the patient receives their first dose, Kathy Hewett, Health Department Lead Health Educator, said.
Caudill said the Health Department is in talks with IU to use the campus as a public vaccination site. As vaccine production increases, the Health Department will require greater distribution capabilities to avoid wasting vaccine doses, she said.
“IU has indicated a willingness to be a public site, so we’re having those conversations and trying to figure out what that would look like,” Caudill said.
The Convention Center vaccination clinic is open Mondays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
