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Walk-ins can get Moderna vaccine Saturday from health department

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Wayne County Health Department is offering a one-day vaccination clinic on Saturday, April 10, and will be open three days a week in April to offer the two-dose Moderna vaccine to those with appointments as well as walk-ins. The one-day clinic will be offered at 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 10, at the former Elder-Beerman store, 601 E. Main St., Richmond. WCHD also is regularly scheduling Moderna clinics from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays each week in April. Appointments are encouraged for any of those Moderna clinics, but walk-ins will be accepted. The Moderna vaccine is a two-dose series and is 95 percent effective against severe infection of COVID-19.

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Families can receive free bags, food boxes March 31 at parks, school

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At four Wayne County parks and a school, families can drive through on Wednesday, March 31, to pick up free bags containing kids’ activities and parenting information. A limited number of free Gleaners family food boxes and a few door prizes will be at each site as well. The Kids First events, which are planned at Creitz Park in Cambridge City, Maplewood Park in Centerville, Northeastern School in Fountain City, Hagerstown Park and Glen Miller Park in Richmond, are designed to bring awareness and resources to help relieve stress for families and prevent child abuse. Bags will be given away at each site at 4 p.m. and the event will end at 6 p.m. or sooner if supplies run out. Six hundred bags are prepared for Glen Miller and other sites each will have 100.

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1-shot vaccine clinic open afternoon, evening of Wednesday, March 31

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Wayne Country Heath Department  has announced another Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic this week, this time with 200 shots. The next clinic will be from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 31 at the former Elder-Beerman store, 601 E. Main St., Richmond. This clinic will be open only to those with appointments. Walk-ins will not be accepted. About 640 vaccines were distributed Saturday at the health department’s special event offering the Johnson & Johnson shots.

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Ages 40-44 can schedule vaccine appointments starting Monday

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Indiana is making COVID-19 vaccinations available to those 40-44 starting Monday, March 22, by appointment. Appointments can be scheduled at ourshot.in.gov for sites in Wayne and surrounding counties. Ages 45-49 were added to the list of eligible recipients in recent days. The list of high-risk medical conditions also has been expanded in recent days, and now includes pregnancy. Pregnant women are encouraged to speak with their medical provider and find out when a shot is recommended.

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Those 45+ can now get COVID vaccinations as soon as today

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Free COVID-19 vaccines are now available for those 45 and older. Indiana Department of Health announced the expansion of eligibility on March 16. That addition makes the vaccine available to an additional 415,640 Hoosiers. Vaccine appointments for this newly eligible population will be available over the next several weeks to align with expected vaccine deliveries to the state. Recently, vaccine supplies have been plentiful in Wayne County, with same-day appointments often available.

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Commissioners urge participation in broadband survey

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Only a few days remain to complete the Wayne County broadband survey and the Wayne County Commissioners are urging residents to participate. Commissioner Jeff Plasterer said that as of March 8, about 1,000 people had completed the broadband survey and more are needed to do so by the final survey date, March 19. The survey is designed to study the usage, actual speeds, opportunities, and lack of access around the county to provide framework for filling future needs. The Wayne County Broadband Taskforce, in partnership with Purdue University Center for Regional Development, launched the survey online on March 1. Residents are asked to complete the survey from home if they have broadband access, and from another location if they do not.

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Wayne County parents asked to complete survey about needs by March 12

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Wayne County parents and caregivers are asked to complete a short survey by Friday, March 12, to help state officials better understand the support and resources their families need. Organizers are hoping to gather at least 262 parent surveys in the county for a representative sample and want to hear from a broad group of families, especially those with low incomes. The survey can be found at https://www.research.net/r/FamilyWayne

Indiana Minority Health Coalition is leading this effort to explore how the state can better support all families. They want to increase the effectiveness, alignment and coordination of existing resources that help Hoosiers take care of their children. The survey asks parents if they’re aware of various types of organizations that support families in their community, such as childcare, libraries and recreational programs, and if they have used their services.

Any Hoosier teacher can get vaccine at pharmacy chains; 50-plus can get shots at WCHD, Reid

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On Wednesday, March 3, Indiana’s Gov. Holcomb announced the federal government’s plan to make teachers a priority to be vaccinated for COVID-19 through the federal pharmacy program at sites such as Kroger, Meijer and Walmart. However, the federal program does not change the plans for state authorized vaccine sites, such as Reid Health’s clinic at Kuhlman Center and Wayne County Health Department’s clinic at the former Elder-Beerman store. Teachers who are younger than 50 – Indiana’s current age limit for vaccine eligibility – must sign up through those companies’ websites to receive the vaccine. Wayne County Health Department says local teachers can go to www.kroger.com/rx/covid-eligibility to find an available appointment
at their vaccination site. It is unclear when any other pharmacies in Wayne County will be providers.

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WCHD offering 600 walk-in COVID shots during 3-day blitz

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For the first time, Wayne County Health Department is accepting walk-ins for COVID-19 shots on three days while supplies last, starting the afternoon of Wednesday, March 3. Two hundred doses will be given per day at the former Elder-Beerman store, 601 E. Main St., Richmond. WCHD Executive Director Christine Stinson said the county will have extra doses because of the week of adverse weather and wants to get them into arms as soon as possible. Walk-in hours will be offered from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, through Friday, March 5, for those who meet Indiana State Department of Health’s eligibility criteria to receive a shot. The list of eligible recipients grew on the morning of March 2 to those 55 and older.

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COVID vaccines now offered to those 55-plus, or any age with qualifying health issues

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Hoosiers 55 and older are now eligible to receive the #COVID19 vaccine. As of March 2, individuals who have been identified by their physician as being part of a special health population also will be able to be scheduled for a vaccine. For the first time, those who have one of the following conditions are eligible to have their provider submit their information:

• Active dialysis patients

Sickle cell disease
Down syndrome
Post-solid organ transplant
People who are actively in treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery) for cancer now or in the last three months, or with active primary lung cancer or active hematologic cancers (lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma)

To make an appointment, their health provider first must submit their patient into the provider portal that was provided by Indiana State Department of Health. The patient then will receive a unique registration link to register for an appointment. The announcement was made shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 2, just one week after shots were made available to those 60-64.