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Indiana Will Air Super Bowl Commercial To Urge Hoosiers To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

The Indiana Department of Health's Super Bowl commercial will feature Will Loggan, the son of an Indianapolis high school athletic director who died from COVID-19 last year.
The Indiana Department of Health's Super Bowl commercial will feature Will Loggan, the son of an Indianapolis high school athletic director who died from COVID-19 last year.

The Indiana Department of Health will run a commercial during Sunday’s Super Bowl emphasizing the importance of COVID-19 precautions and getting the vaccine.

The commercial will cost the state at least $123,000. Gov. Eric Holcomb said it’s “worth every penny.”

“The CARES Act dollars that we used contemplates communication – that when, where, how, why we need to get vaccinated,” Holcomb said.

READ MORE: How Will Indiana Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines? Here's What You Need To Know

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State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said the commercial will help spread the state’s COVID-19 message to different audiences. She noted, for example, that far more women than men have gotten the vaccine so far.

“But really, we want to make sure we reach everybody where they live, work and play, right, and we know that a lot of people like sports, so the Super Bowl is a perfect place to do that,” Box said.

The commercial will center on the family of an Indianapolis high school athletic director who died from COVID-19 last year.

Contact reporter Brandon at  bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page  here .

Brandon J. Smith has previously worked as a reporter and anchor for KBIA Radio in Columbia, MO. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, IL as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.