INDIANAPOLIS — As of Sunday, nearly 300,000 Hoosiers have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
For many, this has been an emotional experience, especially for those that have spent the last year isolated from family and friends.
That’s why one doctor at Riley Hospital for Children signed her parents up right away and brought them to the clinic Sunday afternoon.
Dr. Amy Wilson said she’s been worried about her parents for months. Being a medical professional, she felt helpless at times not being able to fully protect her parents.
“To not have anything more meaningful to offer them than ‘stay at home, don’t leave your house, let me bring you groceries,’ felt really unsatisfying," Dr. Wilson said.
She drove her 70-year-old parents from Lebanon since the local vaccine clinic there was booked until February.
Within minutes, both Julie and Steve Drake received their first dose of the vaccine. They will come back in a couple of weeks for their next round.
“Getting the shot today, I felt like I was going to cry,” Julie said out of excitement.
“It was incredibly exciting, and it also represents a huge weight off of my shoulders,” Dr. Wilson said.
The couple has spent months social distancing from family. Julie also lost her aunt to COVID-19 in April and had a scare herself over the summer that thankfully turned out to be nothing.
“It represents the beginning of the end of this and finally a real path forward to normalcy,” Dr. Wilson said.
Dr. Wilson received both doses of the vaccine when it was first offered to health care workers last month.
Right now, health care workers and Hoosiers 70 years and older are the only ones eligible for the vaccine. You can register at ourshot.in.gov or call 211.