INDIANAPOLIS — A drive-thru vaccine clinic on Sunday in Indianapolis focused on getting the vaccine to minority populations.
Managed Health Services Indiana partnered with Financial Center First Credit Union and Shalom Health Care Center. People getting the vaccine were able to pull right up and get vaccinated without even leaving their car.
The clinic focused on minority populations that are getting vaccinated at lower rates.
"Number one is – it's still a deadly disease. There are a number of people who are going to get infected in the coming weeks to months who are not going to do well. They're not going to survive, some of them, and some of them are going to be left with permanent long term problems," said Dr. Eric Yancy, MHS Medical Officer. "So our message is, we've got to get rid of this thing. We can do it by stimulating everyone's immunity so that everybody is safer, can be around each other, and we can get rid of the psychological impact on our children. Get back to school. Get the education going. Let's just get rid of this thing. Let's be done with COVID-19."
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is approaching 600,000, with the virus taking advantage of inequalities across the country. Government health officials say Native Americans, Latinos and Black people are two to three times more likely than white people to die of COVID-19.
An Associated Press analysis also found that Latinos are dying at much younger ages than other groups.