2 free COVID-19 vaccine clinics Monday in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Marion Couty residents in need of a coronavirus vaccine, COVID-19 booster shot, or flu shot are invited to stop by one of Monday’s two free vaccine clinics.
The Marion County Public Health Department, IndyGo, and Light of the World Christian Church are partnering for the two walk-in clinics in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The vaccines are available to anyone 12 and up from 9 a.m. to noon at the following locations:
- Garfield Park Branch Library (Marion Co. Public Health Dept. mobile unit), 2502 Shelby St., Indianapolis
- IndyGo Julia M. Carson Transit Center, 201 E. Washington St., Indianapolis
Light of the World Christian Church is offering an incentive to those who attend and get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The recently-approved COVID-19 bivalent vaccines can prevent serious illness and hospitalization from the original strain of the virus as well as the omicron strain. It’s recommended for anyone who has not received the bivalent vaccine, even those who received boosters of the original vaccine prior to October 2022.
Both clinics will offer free flu vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine each year. During seasons when flu vaccine viruses are similar to the circulating flu viruses, the vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with the flu by 40 – 60%, the CDC says.
Indiana has recorded 132 flu-related deaths since the start of the current flu season. Ninety-four of those Hoosiers were 65 and over, but two of the deaths were in children between the ages of 5 and 17.