State to resume use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine during clinic at speedway

The Indiana Department of Health will resume using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine during a mass vaccination clinic Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted an 11-day pause on the use of the vaccine after scientific advisers decided its benefits outweigh a rare risk of blood clot.

At least 15 women who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine developed an unusual kind of blood clot shortly after. Three died, and seven remain hospitalized.

So far, nearly 8 million people have been given the shot.

The mass vaccination clinic starts Saturday and will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through April 30. Appointments are still available at ourshot.in.gov or by calling 211.

Adults age 18 and older will receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. On April 30, the clinic will be a family vaccination day in which families with children 16 and older can come together to receive the first dose of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. Appointments are required, and a second dose appointment will be scheduled at that time.

Hoosiers getting vaccinated at the speedway, 4790 W. 16^th St., should enter through Gate 2 off of 16^th St. Individuals are asked to war a mask while being vaccinated.

“Thanks to the incredible partnerships of IU Health and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we have already gotten more than 38,000 vaccines in arms in this round of clinics at IMS,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said in written comments. “This is our shot to protect thousands more Hoosiers from COVID-19 so that we can all start to return to the lives we lived before the pandemic.”

To date, more than 2.2 million Hoosiers have received a first dose of vaccine, and nearly 1.7 million are fully vaccinated.