Indiana Expects 55,000 Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Next Week

Indiana officials say the state expects to get about 55,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine next week, with further amounts still unknown.

Drugmaker Pfizer expects to have its vaccine approved in the coming days.

Indiana Health Department Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver said health care workers and nursing home residents are top of the priority list. But she said the very first doses aren’t enough to cover that entire population.

“Because it is a smaller amount that very first week, the invitation to get registered and get the vaccine is going directly to the hospitals across the state and then will go to our long-term care staff,” Weaver said.

Because initial supply is limited, Indiana was required to choose just five hospitals statewide that will get the first doses. Those are in Jeffersonville, Evansville, Indianapolis, Munster and Fort Wayne.

Weaver said the state will update availability as officials learn more about how much of the vaccine to expect in coming days and weeks.

She also said the state will not allow anyone under age 16 to get vaccinated at this time because clinical trials did not include children.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.