IU Health administered the 10,000th COVID-19 vaccine in Bloomington. As of Tuesday, 12,253 patients in the south-central area already had received their first vaccine shots.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dan Handel of IU Health South Central Region said medical workers are administering the vaccines as early as they get them. The only limit, he said, is the number of available shots.
“We want to get people as many vaccines as the state or otherwise would give us,” he said. “We are all prepared and we will continue to flex as the supplies become more accessible.”
Handel said the rollout would continue to progress because the vaccine is already being distributed by multiple partners, such as county health departments, and he hopes the state will eventually open more locations.
He said that individuals should receive their second dose at the same place where they received the first one to ensure that they receive the same brand and that accurate records are readily accessible.
Handel recognized that certain individuals may have learned that they would go to vaccine sites without an appointment as they are about to close and get their shot. But that is not accurate, he said.
“There are no extra doses sitting around, especially now that we are vaccinating people 70 and up,” he said. “Every dose goes into the arm of somebody.”
