Fishers' mass vaccination clinic to relocate as it prepares for second booster doses

FISHERS — Starting Thursday at 7 p.m., the mass vaccination site in Fishers will be no longer.

The Marsh off East 116th Street and Brooks School Road will be empty once again.

“The demand for vaccines have fallen,” said Public Health Director of Fishers Health Department Monica Heltz. “We’ve also achieved a lot of our vaccination goals. With over 80% of all of our residents and over 90% of our adult residents already having been vaccinated.”

Still, folks are coming in to get vaccinated. Heltz estimates 50 or so people a day do so.

“We’re not empty,” she said.

Around lunchtime Tuesday, it was quiet.

“It’s been slower, but that’s a good thing,” nurse Ann Nix said. She’s been working at the vaccine site since the beginning.

“It’s a good thing because I feel like we’ve gotten this pandemic under control,” Nix added.

In the past 14 months, the Fishers Health Department said it has given more than 95,000 vaccines. Heltz said she is proud of her team for their dedication

Hours after the FDA recommended a second booster shot for Americans over 50 and additional immunocompromised groups, people came in asking for the shot.

“We open at noon, and at 12:01 we had our first person asking if they can get their first dose,” Heltz said.

Dr. Brian Dixon, the Director of Public Health Informatics at Regenstrief Institute, believes this news shows the administration is taking a proactive step when it comes to vaccines rather than a reactive step.

“This is a recognition that the data continued to show that the boosters are highly effective of keeping them from out of the hospitals and keeping them from dying,” Dr. Dixon said.

He said older and immunocompromised Americans should consider the shot.

“The conversation is best had with a doctor. If you’re in one of the high-risk groups and if you receive the third dose, you still have quite a bit of good protection. You may not need to run out and get it right away,” Dixon said.

The hope here, he said, is to have part of the population best protected before another wave may happen.

As for Heltz, her team is preparing for administering second booster doses and will continue them even after the move.

After the mass clinic closes on Thursday night, the new clinic will open Monday, April 4 at 8937 Technology Dr. behind the Super Target. Both testing and vaccines will take place at this location.

The new hours will be:

• Monday:  9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
• Tuesday: 3 to 7 p.m. 
• Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
• Thursday: 3 to 7 p.m. 
• Friday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
• Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Appointments are not necessary for curbside coronavirus testing, but pre-scheduling is available here. Walk-in or scheduled appointments are accepted for vaccines.