INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's Department of Health plans to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine that will roll out in three phases beginning late November and second shipment by mid-December. This is the first draft of Indiana's plan is subject to change according to officials.
The first people to receive the vaccine will be health care workers, followed by those most at risk. The workers included in the first phase include everyone employed in health care settings, from hospitals and long-term care facilities to pharmacies, dialysis, and emergency medical workers.
The determination of who is at-risk will be based on the latest evidence and research at the time and includes people age 65 and older and with other health problems that would put them at higher risk for COVID-19.
The first phase will use hospitals that are prepared to administer to health care workers, then expand to use local health departments and commercial pharmacies.
The second phase of vaccinations will include those who are at an elevated risk by their working or living circumstances. The goal of the second phase is to limit the spread of the virus.
People included in this phase are those in correctional facilities, group homes, shelters, and essential workers who are in situations where social distancing is not possible and transmission risk is high. That group encompasses professions such as police officers and firefighters, teachers, and those who work in food service, retail, utilities, public transit, warehouses, indoor construction, and public health.
Once the first two phases are complete and a vaccine is widely available, health officials will begin to administer it to the general public for phase three.
The state may also call on the Indiana National Guard to assist with the plan.