INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLFI)-The state of Indiana announced what their vaccination plan is going to look like moving forward. The Indiana State Department of Health mentioned certain comorbidities will be added to the list of people eligible, however, they will continue to take an age-based approach for the time being.
The state says as soon as possible they plan on opening up the vaccine to people ages 60 to 65. ISDH says people 60 and older account for 93 percent of deaths in the state of Indiana. Once the vaccine is readily available Hoosier 50 and older will become eligible along with Hoosiers who have certain comorbidities. Those health conditions include Active Dialysis Patients, people with Down Syndrome, post organ transplant recipients, Sickle Cell Disease patients, and cancer patients being treated now or in the last three months. Also, those with lung cancer, hematologic cancers, lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma will also be eligible. Chief Medical Officer for ISDH Lindsay Weaver says they are expanding eligibility as quickly as they can.
"These comorbidities will be a rolling process," said Dr. Weaver. "Many of them have to have specific timing on when they can get the vaccine. This group of people ends up being about 50,000 they are going to be able to kind of roll through as we continue to expand by age."
Dr. Weaver says people with those comorbidities will be informed by their doctor and have a code they give to the vaccine site showing that they qualify. The vaccine advisory committee is who is helping the state make decisions about who will become eligible next. After they reviewed the data about people with comorbidities, they saw that 82 percent of Hoosiers with comorbidities such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and obesity are over age 50. To watch Governor Eric Holcomb's Wednesday Press Conference click here.
