The Fishers Health Department (FHD) announced a major milestone in its COVID-19 vaccination efforts on Friday.
According to Indiana Department of Health data released May 28, 59 percent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated with residents 60 and older reaching a 91.2 percent vaccination rate. Over 67 percent of the eligible population has received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Fishers Health Department leads the COVID-19 vaccination effort in Fishers, which outpaces all other county jurisdictions in Indiana for first dose administration by greater than 5 percent and just second behind Ohio County in full vaccination coverage, according to the May 28 data.
“We are thrilled to see our community continue to take COVID-19 seriously and realize the importance of vaccinations in getting life back to normal,” said FHD director Monica Heltz. “Underscoring this effort is the impact the vaccinations are having on positive COVID-19 cases in which we’re seeing no new cases since March for residents 80 and older. Our hope is that residents in that 12-29 age category prioritize their vaccination so we can start to see a true drop in new cases in our community.”
The FHD tracks the vaccination rates by age group, gender, and ethnicity on their dashboard accessible here. The following data shows the completed vaccination rate for each age group eligible for vaccines as compiled by FHD epidemiologist Joshua Robinson from Indiana Department of Health Data.
“When we set out to provide the best public health service for Fishers residents, early in the COVID-19 fight, we knew we had to be prepared for and support the vaccine when it became ready,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “Our FHD answered that call and now has distributed more than 46,000 vaccines since early 2021 with half of those administered to non-residents. To be able to provide this essential service to anyone, improve residents’ experiences, and ultimately lower the tax burden on our residents is nothing short of amazing during a pandemic.”
The city challenged its residents in March in achieving a community-wide vaccination rate of 85 percent. FHD anticipates reaching this rate by July based on current uptake rates.
The City Council appropriated $2 million in April 2020 to fund the newly formed Fishers Health Department’s COVID-19 efforts. Since that time, more than 45,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered for free to residents. $1.8 million of the appropriated money has been reimbursed from the federal government’s CARES Act.
The FHD vaccination site now welcomes walk-in appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations from all three approved manufacturers and hosts pop-up events around the city. To learn more, visit fishers.in.us/vaccine.