INDIANAPOLIS — A widely-available COVID-19 vaccine may still be months away, but Indiana may get some doses as soon as late-November, Indiana State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said Wednesday.
Box said the state has been told some doses of the first vaccine could arrive in November with a second shipment coming by mid-December. It's not yet clear how many vaccines Indiana may get.
She made the comments during the governor's weekly update.
WATCH | Wednesday's update from Indiana officials on COVID-19
"We have a team of internal and external partners that continues to work on our allocation plan to ensure that we are able to move the vaccine quickly once it arrives," Box said. "We also have a team that will review the data to determine the populations in which has been tested."
These plans are rapidly developing and are subject to change, Box said.
"So keep wearing your masks, washing your hands, and practicing social distancing," Box said. "They are the best tools that we have right now, and we need to use every tool that we have to get our cases back under control."
In a 75-page plan from the state health department, health care workers who may have direct contact with people infected with COVID-19 will get the vaccine first.
READ | STATE VACCINE PLAN: Who will be first in the state when COVID-19 vaccines are available?
A vaccine from Pfizer is expected to be the first vaccine available, Box said. It is a two-dose vaccine and needs to be kept at -70 degrees.
The state is working on identifying places in the state the doses could be stored and working with hospitals willing to help administer the vaccines.
