MOORESVILLE, N.C. – The latest racing venue to serve as a mass vaccination site for the COVID-19 virus will be the most famous and largest speedway of all – Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has partnered with the Indiana Department of Health to host a mass vaccination clinic for Hoosiers eligible to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine.
According to a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the clinic will run from Friday, March 5 to Sunday, March 7 with vaccinations beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. each day. All Hoosiers ages 55 and up are eligible for the vaccine, and appointments must be booked via ourshot.in.gov or by calling 211. No walk-ups will be permitted.
“We’re a community-first organization, and we’re extremely proud to assist with this important effort to keep Hoosiers safe and healthy,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “I encourage those who are eligible to sign up, and I’d like to thank our state’s leadership – most especially Governor Holcomb and Dr. Box – for the opportunity to team up and pitch in.”
In addition to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, additional clinics will be hosted later this month at University of Notre Dame’s Compton Family Ice Arena and Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg.
“Getting tens of thousands of vaccines in arms in a matter of days is a huge undertaking that requires incredible partnerships,” Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb said. “We are incredibly grateful to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Notre Dame and Ivy Tech for their willingness to meet this challenge head on to help save Hoosier lives.”
The mass vaccination clinics will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which received its Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA on Saturday. The vaccine requires only one dose and has been shown to be safe and effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths in clinical trials involving nearly 44,000 participants from all races and ethnicities.
“The Johnson & Johnson vaccine gives eligible Hoosiers a safe, effective and convenient way to protect themselves from COVID-19,” said State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG. “Because it requires just one dose, every shot administered represents a Hoosier who can rest easier, knowing their risk of severe illness from this disease has dropped exponentially.”
Indiana’s Area Agencies on Aging, AARP and nearly 70 libraries around the state also can help Hoosiers schedule their appointments. Participants will remain in their cars for their vaccines.
The clinic schedules:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
4790 W. 16th St., Indianapolis
March 5-7
8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Enter through main gate off 16th Street
Ivy Tech Community College
8204 County Road 311, Sellersburg
March 12-13
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
University of Notre Dame
Compton Family Ice Arena
100 Compton Family Ice Arena, Notre Dame
March 19-20
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.