COVID-19 vaccine hard to find for littlest kids as state's ourshot site is slow to update
Scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine for the littlest children proved to be somewhat of a moving target for Indiana parents Tuesday.
Mid-morning the Indiana Department of Health posted a map of sites that were offering vaccine for those under 5, but the site had not yet updated to accept appointments.
Initially the department said vaccine would be offered on a walk-in basis. A few hours later, the ourshot.in.gov scheduling website directed parents to contact vaccine sites directly or call the state's 211(866-211-9966) line before visiting a clinic. Health officials encourage parents to check if the vaccine is available and if appointments are required at the site that they want to visit.
More: Here's what you need to know about getting youngest kids COVID-19 vaccine in Indiana
Some of the sites listed on the map as having shots available did not even have vaccine in stock yet. The HealthNet clinics appeared on the map as vaccinating children under the age of five, but the vaccine was still on order and had not arrived at the clinics as of Tuesday afternoon, HealthNet spokeswoman Kay Johnson said in an email.
The HealthNet phone team Tuesday received "lots of calls" from people about the vaccine but had not yet started making appointments. HealthNet will offer appointments soon, Johnson added.
While some other sites around the state are taking walk-ins, many, including pharmacies and hospitals, have only "limited initial supplies" of the vaccine and required appointments, state health officials said in a release Tuesday afternoon.
Health officials issued a call for patience from parents eager to get vaccines into the small arms of those under the age of five.
“We recognize that there is pent-up demand among parents eager to protect our youngest Hoosiers, but because vaccines are still arriving in Indiana for this age group, we ask for a little more patience to allow supply to catch up with demand,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver. “As with every stage of vaccine rollout, we will see increased availability in the coming days as more doses arrive in the state.”
More: Many act like the pandemic has ended. That's not an option for the immunocompromised.
Riley Children's Health had issued a release Monday saying that they were offering the Moderna two-shot series at some of their primary care facilities. However, they asked parents to make appointments either through the state website or the 211 line.
State health officials said in a release that the department is working with its external vendor to update the website as quickly as possible to allow people to schedule appointments online for this age group.
"(C)hanges to include new age groups and dosages require significant reprogramming that is being completed as expeditiously as possible," said department spokesperson Megan Wade-Taxter in an email.
The online registration system is maintained by an external vendor, and changes to include new age groups and dosages require significant reprogramming that is being completed as expeditiously as possible. Some sites, as well as private healthcare providers, use their own scheduling platforms, but 211 can also provide assistance.
Late last week Walgreens said in a release that starting this Saturday it would begin offering vaccine to children three years and older at some locations. Appointments were encouraged and can be scheduled through the drugstore company's website at walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine or by calling (800)-Walgreens.
Contact IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at shari.rudavsky@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter: @srudavsky.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: With state's ourshot site slow to update COVID vax hard to find
