INDIANAPOLIS — The number of Hoosiers vaccinated against COVID-19 has surpassed 1 million in just over 10 weeks after the largest vaccination effort in the U.S. got underway, state officials announced Monday.
A total of 1,000,321 people in Indiana had received at least one dose as of Monday morning, or about 14.9% of the state’s population, and 569,465 have received two doses and are considered fully vaccinated, or 8.5% of the state’s population, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
“Getting 1 million vaccines in arms in just over two months is a game changer, and it brings me indescribable hope,” Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a statement.
Locally, at least 12,932 Bartholomew County residents have received their first dose, or about 15.4% of the county’s population, state records show. Additionally, at least 7,241 local residents have received their second dose and are considered fully vaccinated, or roughly 8.6% of the population.
However, that is still well below the threshold that many public health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, have said would need to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity and vanquish the pandemic, which has killed more than 513,000 people in the U.S.
Fauci has said between 70% to 85% of the U.S. population needs to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity.
Currently, Indiana residents age 60 and up, as well as healthcare workers and first responders, are eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine appointments can be scheduled on the state’s online portal, ourshot.in.gov, or by calling 211.
About 52% of Bartholomew County residents age 60 and up had received their first dose as of Monday morning, including nearly 71% of residents age 80 and up, 68% of residents ages 70 to 79 and 36% of residents ages 60 to 69, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
Additionally, nearly 26% of local residents age 60 and up had received their second dose, including 48% of residents age 80 and up, 39% of residents ages 70 to 79 and 10% of residents age 60 to 69.
The announcement of the milestone came just days after federal regulators authorized a third COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the U.S.
The vaccine, developed by Johnson & Johnson, is the first authorized in the U.S. that requires just one shot. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine, which were authorized in December, require two doses for maximum protection.
Nearly 4 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were shipped Sunday night, and will begin to be delivered to states for injections starting on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.
Currently, it is unclear how many doses will make their way to Bartholomew County.
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Currently, Indiana residents age 60 and up, as well as healthcare workers and first responders, are eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine appointments can be scheduled on the state’s online portal, ourshot.in.gov, or by calling 211.
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