Reid Health is partnering with Franklin County Health Department and White’s Farm Flea Market and Auctioneers to offer a special COVID-19 vaccination clinic for area residents.
As many as 300 vaccines will be available at the popular flea market at White’s Farm, 6028 Holland Road in Brookville, Ind., during the market’s hours of 7-11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 12. Second doses then will be given during the Wednesday, June 2 market.
“I think it’s vital for local businesses to play a role in the vaccination effort,” said Jonathan White, vice president of White’s Farm and staff pharmacist at George’s Pharmacy in Brookville, in a news release. “I think we all have very short memories regarding what life was like this time last year.
“I don’t want to have to close my business again because of safety concerns, and I certainly never want to have to open the newspaper and read about people I care about passing away from a virus whose spread we now have the ability to stop.”
Appointments can be scheduled through the state website, ourshot.in.gov, using either the Firefox or Chrome web browser, but walk-ins will be welcome as well.
“To bring an end to the pandemic, we need to get as many shots in arms as we can,” said Dr. Thomas Huth, Reid’s vice president of medical affairs. “This unique event allows us to bring the vaccine directly to members of the community rather than them having to make a special trip to come to us.”
The state’s COVID dashboard recently added a category for the percentage of samples testing positive for a more contagious variant.
Those who previously have had COVID might not be immune to new variants and could become ill again, health officials caution, and the second illness could be much more serious than their first.
That’s why state and local health officials are urging all Hoosiers 16 and older to get vaccinated, even if they’ve had COVID previously since it’s unclear how long any immunity from previously having the illness might last.
Local health officials noted several weeks ago that positive tests for a variant already had been recorded in Franklin County.
The majority of Hoosiers testing positive for a variant have the variant originally identified in the United Kingdom, followed by variants originally identified in California, Brazil and South Africa.