SPEEDWAY, Ind. — On Friday, the first of three mass vaccination clinics will open in Indiana.
The first out of the gate is at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The State Department of Health said all this weekend's IMS appointments have been taken, as about 16,800 people signed up for the COVID-19 vaccine. The clinic will not be accepting any “walk-ups” and appointments are required.
It will take place from Friday, March 5 to Monday, March 8. The clinic will operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.
Those arriving for appointments will drive in to the main 16th Street entrance, where they will be directed to a sign-in area. An ID is required. They will then head to Gasoline Alley for vaccination in one of the garages.
Like other clinics, a 15 minute observation wait is required after the vaccination and vaccine recipients will remain inside the cars. If everything goes well, the car is then waved out.
The state will use the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, since it is a one-time shot, making it easier to accommodate thousands of people in a short amount of time.
“We are in a race between the vaccines and the variants, and we want to vaccines to win,” said Dr. Lindsay Weaver, Indiana's chief medical officer.
In addition to IMS, other vaccine clinics will be hosted this month, at the University of Notre Dame’s Compton Family Ice Arena and at Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg.