TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — With people 16 and older now eligible to be vaccinated in Indiana, health leaders are encouraging students to register.
Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box believes a lot of young people are eager for life to return to normal.
Dr. Maureen Johnson, associate professor for the Department of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana State University, says when she learned that the age for COVID vaccinations was being lowered to 16, she started her on-campus classes by making sure her students knew they would soon be elgible.
“Students really need to take advantage, well everybody who’s eligible needs to take advantage of it,” said Johnson. “Because it’s really the only way we’re going to start to make our way back to life before the pandemic. It’s a great opportunity for us to protect ourselves.”
Students who attend college in Indiana but are from a different state no longer have to make plans to return home to get the vaccine.
“We also have removed the language requiring proof of residency. We’ve made this change for several reasons to comply with requirements at the FEMA site,” said Dr. Kristina Box, State Health Commissioner. “Students at college and universities and even some people in Indiana workplaces may live out of state but spend a significant amount of time in Indiana.”
The state says many residents in the new eligible age range began registering for the vaccine but not every student has plans to receive it.
“My family like talked about it. They’re not getting it either,” said junior ISU student Caleb Needham. “Like, some of my family is getting it. Some of them aren’t. So it’s like 50-50. I made the decision on my own.”
Indiana State University announced that students and employees of the university will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine next week. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods will administer the first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to students, faculty and staff on April 7, 8 and 9. Vincennes University will begin administering vaccines April 8 at the Green Activities Center.
