By CAMILA FERNANDEZ
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Help is on the way for a handful of Indiana counties running low on supply on pediatric COVID-19 doses.
Claire Haughton, public health educator for the Boone County Health Department, said, “We definitely ran out a lot faster than we thought we would. I think we did not realize that the demand would be so overwhelming.”
The Boone County department says it ran out of COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5 to 11 approximately two weeks ago. They’ve recently received about 700 more doses. The department says it also expects to receive more pediatric doses.
“So, we have been getting calls from parents who were concerned, like, ‘Hey, are you going to have enough by the time my kid has this appointment coming up next week?’ and we will,” Haughton said.
“Our clinic will be opened next Wednesday and Thursday, and I’m already seeing that we have over a hundred people booked on those days,” Haughton said.
The Hamilton County Health Department says it expects to receive more pediatric doses early next week. The demand for vaccines at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds clinic in Noblesville had exceeded the supply.
The Hamilton County Health Department says it’s sticking with scheduled appointments for kids 5 to 11 to ensure they don’t have to turn anyone away.
The Madison County Health Department, based in Anderson, says it received 700 additional doses last week.
Former U.S. surgeon general and News 8 medical expert Dr. Jerome Adams encourages everyone to get vaccinated. He says the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks for these children.
“We can live with this virus,” Adams said. “We can have a sense of normalcy if everyone does their part and it starts with getting vaccinated.”
Both the Marion County Public Health Department and the Hendricks County Health Department, based in Danville, say they have not yet experienced a shortage of doses for ages 5-11.