Bartholomew County health officials are making a push to get as many people as possible vaccinated against COVID-19 as the number of vaccines administered to local residents continues to decline.
Last week, just 806 Bartholomew County residents received their first COVID-19 shot, the lowest weekly total since the early days of the vaccine rollout, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
Few people are signing up for appointment slots at a two-day mass vaccination clinic that will be held in Bartholomew County this week, prompting local officials to announce that they will accept walk-ins at the clinic and give away free gifts to anyone who gets vaccinated.
The clinic, which will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds Community Building, 750 W. County Road 200S, will offer the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, which is authorized for anyone age 18 and up.
As of Thursday, only around 200 of the up to 1,000 appointment slots over the two days had been reserved, said Amanda Organist, director of nursing at the Bartholomew County Health Department.
“We do have some ‘freebies’ available to anyone that receives a vaccine at the clinic,” Organist said. “We will be able to accept walk-ins as well but registering is always preferred.”
The “freebies” include coupons at several local restaurants, water bottles and a mystery item that officials declined to reveal.
Additionally, the Bartholomew County Health Department and Windrose Health Network have announced seven mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics across the county in the coming weeks — including in Elizabethtown, Hope, Taylorsville and Edinburgh.
Mobile vaccination sites will be set up in the parking lot of a local McDonald’s, a mobile home park, outside of public schools, the fairgrounds, among other locations.
Upcoming Pfizer sites, which are open to anyone age 12 and up, include:
June 1: Taylorsville Elementary School parking lot, 9711 Walnut Street, from 9a.m. to 2 p.m.
June 3: Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School parking lot, 9273 N. State Road 9 in Hope, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
June 17: McDonald’s parking lot, 11995 U.S. 31 North in Edinburgh, from 9 a.m. to noon
June 17: Driftside Home Community Center, 13540 U.S. 31 in Edinburgh, from 1 to 4 p.m.
June 28: Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds sheriff’s tent, 750 W. County Road 200S, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Upcoming Johnson & Johnson clinics, which are available to anyone age 18 and up, include:
June 10: Mill St. Deli, 102 Mill St. in Elizabethtown, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
June 19: White Diamond Lavender Farm, 9415 E. County Road 800N in Hope, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The push comes as the number of people in Bartholomew County and the surrounding area getting COVID-19 shots has started to fall behind the national rate, according to data from the Indiana State Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From mid-December until March, the percentage of Bartholomew County residents receiving their first COVID-19 shot largely kept pace with the national percentage, the data shows.
But then things began to change.
By the end of March, 32.3% of Americans had received at least one dose of a COVID-19, compared to 27.5% of Bartholomew County residents.
As of Tuesday, the national percentage had reached 48.4%, according to the CDC. By comparison, the percentage of Bartholomew County residents who had received at least one dose was at 42% of the county’s total population.
However, the gap is larger in neighboring counties — including Jennings County, where just 27% of the population has received at least one dose, and Jackson County, which has just eclipsed 33%.
Overall, the percentage of Bartholomew County residents who were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday was still largely keeping pace with the national percentage of 38%, though that could change in the coming weeks given the gap in first doses.
Currently, the local COVID-19 Community Task Force is looking at ways to encourage people to get vaccinated and debunk misinformation about the shots, said spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
Among the biggest challenges to boosting demand for the vaccine include clearing up misinformation about the shots, assuaging concerns about potential but rare side effects, a false sense of security many people have about declining hospitalizations and young people underestimating their risk, local officials said.
Local health officials are hoping that one-on-one discussions with patients when they go to the doctor will help alleviate some of the hesitancy around the shots.
“I’m hoping that discussing the vaccine and providing information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine has helped encourage some of my patients who are on the fence to decide to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Brian Niedbalski, Bartholomew County health officer and physician at Columbus Regional Health. “Unfortunately, there are some people who have gone down the rabbit hole of believing half-truths and misinformation about the vaccine on social media, so they have already made their decisions. There are others who have made the decision based on their prior reactions to vaccines or have chosen to avoid all vaccines in general. That is their choice to make, and I can honor that decision.”
Indiana, for its part, has the 12th lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate per capita in the U.S. — lower than Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, according to the CDC.
Overall, 2.37 million Hoosiers were fully vaccinated as of Thursday, or about 35% of the state’s total population, according to state records.
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Upcoming Pfizer vaccination sites, which are open to anyone age 12 and up, include:
- June 1: Taylorsville Elementary School parking lot, 9711 Walnut Street, 9a.m. to 2 p.m. Call Windrose at 317-680-9901 to register.
- June 3: Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School front parking lot, 9273 N. State Road 9 in Hope, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call Windrose at 317-680-9901 to register.
- June 17: McDonald’s parking lot, 11995 U.S. 31 North in Edinburgh, 9 a.m. to noon. Call Windrose at 317-680-9901 to register.
- June 17: Driftside Home Community Clubhouse, 13540 U.S. 31 in Edinburgh, 1 to 4 p.m. Call Windrose at 317-680-9901 to register.
- June 28: Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds sheriff’s tent, 750 W. County Road 200S, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Call the Bartholomew County Health Department at 812-379-1555, option 1, to register.
Upcoming Johnson & Johnson clinics, which are available to anyone age 18 and up, include:
- June 10: Mill St. Deli, 102 Mill Street in Elizabethtown, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call the Bartholomew County Health Department at 812-379-1555, option 1, to register.
- June 19: White Diamond Lavender Farms, 9415 E. County Road 800N in Hope, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call the Bartholomew County Health Department at 812-379-1555, option 1, to register.
Registration preferred but walk-ins welcome. Free gift with vaccination.
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What: Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination clinic
When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday
Where: Bartholomew County Fairgrounds Community Building, 750 W. County Road 200S
How to make an appointment: Visit ourshot.in.gov to reserve an appointment time. Anyone age 18 and up is eligible.
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