INDIANAPOLIS — Monday’s brutal winter storm created impossible driving conditions and hundreds of closures and cancellations across the state, including more than 80 vaccine clinics that were forced to close because of the severe weather.
More than 43,000 people had their appointment canceled.
On top of that, the state is still waiting for its weekly shipment of the Moderna vaccine. The winter storm system has caused delays at the FedEx hub in Memphis and the UPS hub in Louisville.
The state said more vaccine appointments will likely need to be rescheduled this week depending on how the weather impacts vaccine shipments.
If your appointment was canceled, you can find another time slot. State health officials recommend using the link through your last confirmation text or email.
You can also call 211.
To help, the state is adding more appointments and days to the clinic schedules.
If your appointment for your second dose of the vaccine was rescheduled, the state says it is okay if it is delayed a bit.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting the second Moderna vaccine four weeks after the first shot. For Pfizer, it's three weeks later. As long you get the second dose within six weeks, you still get full protection from the vaccine.
This delay in the state’s vaccine schedule also means eligibility for the vaccine will remain the same until more doses become available.
"Because of these issues, we will keep our eligibility at Hoosiers age 65 and older," said Dr. Lindsay Weaver, Indiana’s chief medical officer. "Once the vaccine deliveries get back on schedule, our plan is to open eligibility to Hoosiers age 60-65. We will continue to see how weather impacts our shipments, but hopefully, we can expand as soon as sometime next week.”
With all the closed clinics and rescheduled vaccine appointments, some wondered whether that led to any doses of the vaccine getting wasted. State leaders said they haven't heard of any that were lost because of the storm.
Overall, the state has reported about 172 wasted doses of the vaccine. That is a relatively small number compared to the 1.2 million doses the state's given to Hoosiers. The 172 wasted vaccines represent one-hundredth of one percent.