INDIANAPOLIS — “I lost four friends from COVID-19 and they don’t even know how they got it,” said 83-year-old Phyllis Smith, who’s anxious to get the novel coronavirus vaccine.
She and her 88-year-old husband Larry have vaccination appointments for Sunday afternoon.
“I’m so happy that we’re doing this and I urge everyone to do it as fast as you can,” Phyllis said.
Hoosiers 80 years and older, like Phyllis and her husband, have certainly been signing up.
At last count, 75,000 have made appointments since Friday morning on the state’s website ourshot.in.gov.
Caregivers for people in the eligible age bracket can also call 211, or call any of the state’s area agencies on aging to schedule appointments.
Phyllis’s daughter made the appointments for her parents Friday night by logging onto the website.
That task, the state says, wasn’t so easy to accomplish earlier that morning because so many people logged on at once.
Phyllis can see why.
For her, the vaccine represents a sort of freedom she hasn’t had since she and her husband moved to Indianapolis from Florida in August so they could be closer to their children and grandkids.
They haven’t seen each other much, though.
“I’ve been afraid to go anywhere and hug my grandkids properly. I can’t hug them. I’m afraid to be with them,” said Phyllis, who has good reason to be concerned for her health and that of her husband.
More than half of the COVID-19 deaths in Indiana have occurred in people 80 and older.
That’s why Phyllis is more than ready to roll up her sleeve for the vaccine, so she can be better protected.
“Anybody who’s hesitant to take the vaccine, I think, is foolish," she said. "I think they should take it.”