More COVID-19 vaccination sites have opened in Monroe County this week and the number of cases and hospitalizations continue to decrease. But an IU Health official says it is vital that people continue to protect themselves from the virus.
“Keep masking, keep social distancing…until we really hit that herd immunity, we really have to be diligent about this. It’s still out there, we are still admitting people everyday because they have COVID,” said Dr. Dan Handel, chief medical officer for IU Health South Central Region.
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Handel cited these two factors for improving numbers: getting beyond unsafe holiday gatherings and the fact that the first shot of the two-shot vaccination process gives people 50 percent protection. The efficacy rises to about 95 percent a couple weeks after the second shot.
He said a steady supply of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines continue to flow into IU Health, which has scheduled out appoints through the end of the month. He said he welcomes the news that Kroger has opened four vaccination sites, expanding the total number of sites in Monroe County to six.
“This is one of these things where as many avenues as we have, hopefully as our supply ramps up, we have the distribution and logistics to take as much vaccine supply as we can across the region,” he said.
Handel encouraged people to remain vigilant with safety protocols and to sign up to be vaccinated when they become eligible.
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