Everyone age 16 and older has been able to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Indiana for over a month now, but only at designated vaccination sites or clinics. Health officials in St. Joseph County are now working to get the vaccines into local doctors’ offices.
St. Joseph County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Mark Fox said making vaccines available at the doctor’s office will remove barriers for people who aren’t comfortable with the state’s online registration system, or who don’t have reliable transportation to a vaccination site.
He said it also might make people who are somewhat vaccine-hesitant more likely to get the shot.
“Especially for people in that ‘wait-and-see’ group, if it comes with a recommendation from their doctor, and they have a chance to get their questions answered in real time, it increases the likelihood that they’ll take the vaccine,” he said.
Fox said patient appointments at local offices are recorded in a different system than most COVID vaccine appointments. He said health officials are working to transition from one system to another, and they hope to offer the vaccine as part of a normal doctor’s visit in the near future.
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.
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