Notre Dame hosting mass vaccination clinic

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- The Indiana Department of Health announced a new initiative, partnering up with the University of Notre Dame and two other locations across the state, to operate mass vaccination clinics as another effort to inoculate all eligible Hoosiers as quickly as possible.

“We are grateful to the state health Department for having confidence in the university to become a vaccination clinic, mass vaccination clinic site and secondly we are tremendously excited about the opportunity to do what we can to help out our community to get as many shots into arms as possible,” University of Notre Dame Spokesperson Dennis Brown said.

Notre Dame’s mass vaccination clinic will be located at the Compton Family Ice Arena, an easily accessible spot on campus filled with hundreds of parking spots.

The newly FDA approved one-shot vaccine, Johnson and Johnson, will be the only shot administered.

“The plan is that these mass vaccination sites because they’ll draw, potentially draw broader region, the goal was to use the one dose vaccine from Johnson and Johnson,” St. Joseph County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Mark Fox said. “Especially with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, since it’s just one and done. It really is advantageous for people.”

Signing up is simple, anyone throughout the region who is eligible to get vaccinated can sign up on the health departments website to schedule an appointment. Being able to distribute the Johnson and Johnson shots to Hoosiers, St. Joseph County Health Officials say, is a game-changer.

“I think at this point the most important thing is for people to get some enhanced level of protection, and all of the vaccines that are available offer that, so that’s the good news that people need to hear,” Dr. Fox said.

And being able to lend a helping hand, offering a way to get the Hoosier state back on track is what it’s all about.

“I think that for the community, for the state, for the nation as a whole and ultimately for the world, we’re seeing some light at the end of the tunnel and that’s nothing but a positive thing,” Brown said.

“I think it’s great in terms of expanding access for this part of the state, and especially with increasing the eligibility here today to age 55, so you know the more opportunity we have for people to get the vaccine the better off our community is,” Dr. Fox said.

Preparations for the mass vaccination clinic is still in the works right now, but the Brown says they’re working closely with the Indiana and St. Joe County Health Departments to ensure all safety protocols are in place to inoculate everyone possible.

Dr. Fox said the vaccination clinic is expected to be a huge success, anticipating more people to get vaccinated in just the two days than in a whole week.

“The goal is to do probably 4,000 shots a day for the weekend that they’re open. Now, this week, the county health departments side is going up to 1,000 doses a day. So, we’ll do 5,000 doses a week. So Especially this creates a whole other week of scheduling opportunity,” Dr. Fox said.

If you’re an eligible Hoosier, all you have to do is go to ourshot.in.gov to sign up.

The mass vaccination clinic at the Compton Family Ice Arena will open March 26th and 27th from 8AM- 8PM.