Fishers vaccination site up and running at former Marsh building

WISH-TV | wishtv.com

The Fishers Health Department vowed to do whatever it takes to get as many people vaccinated at its new vaccination site.

The city celebrated renovating the former Marsh Supermarkets building on 116th Street near Brooks School Road with a ribbon cutting on Monday. The opening means city officials are a step closer to achieving their goals.

Heltz

“The sooner we can get people vaccinated the faster we can stop the spread of the virus,” said Monica Heltz, public health director of the Fishers Health Department.

On the first day, the vaccination site was expected to vaccinate 340 people. Officials hope to have enough doses to vaccinate 1,000 people a day. The city previously said the site can give up to 1,600 shots a day. Appointments are required, and applicants for the vaccinations must have no COVID-19 symptoms. Right now, only people 70 and older can get vaccinated in Indiana.

Heltz said she hopes opening the site will encourage others to work with their health departments to use community resources to come up with solutions to get the vaccines in more arms.

“I think the message is ‘Be ready. Do whatever needs to happen in the community to make sure your community is well-positioned and ready to respond when the vaccine comes’,” Heltz said.

Kenneth Carlsen received his first vaccine dose at the site. He said the large accommodations made the process stress-free. He’ll be 77 in March. He said after he’s received his first dose, he feels more hopeful about the future.

“It’s important for my own health, my family’s health, and for the people around me,” Carlsen said. “It’s important we stop this thing. It’s destroyed our country and we (have) got to get it back.”