INDIANAPOLIS — Over the past few weeks, interest in the COVID-19 vaccine has slowed down significantly. Some clinics have started offering walk-in appointments and others have shut down because not enough people are signing up.
Friday’s vaccine clinic at Lucas Oil Stadium was quick and convenient, but many were surprised at how empty it was.
“I was surprised there weren’t more people here, but at the same time I am happy that I didn’t have to wait in crowds,” said Ciara Krier.
“I would think that with it being Lucas and the amount of wide-open space and availability, more people would take advantage of this,” said Harvey Lee.
Indiana’s vaccine rate shows the number of Hoosiers getting vaccinated has significantly dropped since the beginning of April. A closer look shows age is a huge factor—with only 8.4 percent of Hoosiers age 20-24 being vaccinated and 12.7 percent of those between the ages of 30 and 34.
Researchers at Columbia University scraped hundreds of millions of online posts to determine why people are hesitant and how to reach them. The most common reasons people say they’re hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine are safety concerns, mistrust in institutions or government, people who only believe in natural healing or remedies, medical freedom groups and conspiracy theories.
Recent numbers in Indiana also show a slight uptick in COVID cases, which health leaders believe stemmed from spring break travel. Marion County health officials said Thursday that this is a reminder that we’re not done yet.
“Get the lifesaving protection offered by this COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Public Health Department.
The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is returning to IMS Saturday, a day after U.S. health officials announced they were stopping the pause on the vaccine. People 18 and up can get the shot at IMS from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. from April 24-29.
Appointments are still available at ourshot.in.gov.