By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

WARSAW – Efforts are ramping up ahead of next week’s state-run COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Center Lake Pavilion.

Organizers are touting the availability and ease in registering for an appointment at the clinic, which will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, through Saturday, April 24.

New bilingual brochures with information about vaccines will be distributed in parts of Kosciusko County beginning Thursday, April 15, in hopes of drumming up interest in the upcoming clinic, said Mayor Joe Thallemer during a bi-weekly news conference on the pandemic held at Warsaw City Hall.

“I know there are plenty of appointments available so we really want to encourage folks to sign up,” said Thallemer.

Officials hope to vaccinate 2,000 people in five days using the Pfizer vaccine. Those getting a dose will then receive an appointment for a follow-up dose one month later at a similar clinic.

County Health Officer Dr. William Remington said they are trying to find new time slots for those who had been scheduled for Saturday.

The county’s immunization clinic at the K21 Health Pavilion has provided 1,600 doses a week and has injected about 16,000 doses at the clinic since the effort began Jan. 11, according to Remington.

“That’s unprecedented clinical work for our health department,” he said.

He offered thanks to numerous officials as well as the “big-hearted, wonderful volunteers” who have been assisting at the immunization clinic.

With other options readily available, the county health clinic will start reducing its role in COVID-19 vaccination by early June, saying the county needs to get back to other regular missions of the office, he said.

So far in Indiana, about 3.5 million doses have been administered and about 1.5 million are now fully vaccinated.

That means about 21 percent of Hoosiers 16 and older have been fully immunized. About 30 percent have had one dose.

While about 9,000 county residents tested positive for COVID – and are now thought to be immune, Teresa Reed, the county’s communicable disease nurse, said she feels “very comfortable” in saying that a similar number of people had COVID, but did not get tested.

Cumulatively, that means that upward of 45 percent of the county is now immune to some degree.

She said she thinks those factors are helping minimize the current bump in cases.

“I don’t want to sound too confident, but at the same time, I’m reassured,” she said.

Officials say they’ve been seeing a small rise in the number of cases and hospitalizations, but Remington downplayed the overall significance.

Officials were asked if they are worried that demand will fall as more vaccines become available.

“I think we’ve achieved a lot by robustly immunizing those who have statistically been shown over the last year to be at the greatest risk. I think the state did it wonderfully.”

Small surges in geographical areas will likely lead to an increase in demand for vaccines, Remington said.