Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine supply catches up with demand in Indianapolis metro area – WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather

(WISH) — Aid is on the way for a handful of counties in Indiana that are running low on supplies of pediatric COVID-19 doses.

Claire Haughton, public health educator for the Boone County Health Department, said, “We definitely ran out a lot faster than we thought. I guess we didn’t realize the demand was going to be so overwhelming.”

The Boone County Department says the COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 ran out about two weeks ago. They recently received about 700 additional doses. The Boone County Health Department says it is also receiving more pediatric doses.

“So we’ve been getting calls from parents who were concerned, like, ‘Hey, do you have enough by the time my kid has this appointment next week?’ and we will,” Haughton said.

“Our clinic will open next Wednesday and Thursday and I can already see that we have over a hundred people booked for those days,” Haughton said.

The Hamilton County Health Department says it will receive more pediatric doses early next week. Demand for vaccines at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds clinic in Noblesville outstripped supply.

The Hamilton County health department says it’s sticking to scheduled appointments for kids ages 5 to 11 to make sure they don’t have to send anyone away.

Madison County’s health department, based in Anderson, says it received 700 additional doses last week.

Former US surgeon general and News 8 medical expert Dr. Jerome Adams encourages everyone to get vaccinated. He says the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks to these children.

“We can live with this virus. We can have a sense of normalcy if everyone does their part and it starts with getting vaccinated,” Adams said.

Both the Marion County Public Health Department and the Danville-based Hendricks County Health Department say they have not experienced a dose shortage before ages 5-11.