Indiana Expands COVID Vaccines to Hoosier 30 and Older
The Indiana Department of Health announced Monday morning on Twitter any Hoosier over the age of 30 is now eligible to schedule an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
The expansion comes just over a week after the state expanded eligibility to those 40-years-old and older. To schedule an appointment, visit the Department's vaccine website, ourshot.in.gov, or call 211.
To date, 1,088,141 Hoosiers are considered "fully vaccinated," according to the Department of Health's coronavirus website meaning they've either received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Of those 1,088,141 residents, 42,305 live in Vanderburgh County, 15,041 are in Warrick, 5,016 are in Posey, and 5,772 live in Gibson. The number for each county jumps a bit when you filter the website by the number of residents who have received their first dose like me.
Final Expansion Coming March 31st
As of Wednesday (March 31st, 2021), anyone 16-years-old and older who wants the vaccine will be eligible to get it. Governor Eric Holcomb announced that expansion during his COVID press conference last Tuesday (March 23rd). It was during that same news conference he also announced the state's mask mandate would be downgraded to an advisory on April 6th, putting the decision of whether or not to require residents to wear a mask in the hands of the local government officials and business owners in each county.
One popular Evansville business, Lamasco Bar & Grill on Franklin Street, announced its plans Sunday morning on Facebook.
How Mayor Winnecke plans to address the change is unknown at this time however, his office did release a statement last Wednesday stating he had met with his Medical Advisory Group to review the Governor's decision and will continue to "confer with local medical professionals and government leaders" to determine its impact on the community. The Mayor is expected to provide a public update tomorrow (Tuesday, March 30th, 2021).
[Source: Indiana Department of Health on Twitter]
LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions
While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.