COVID-19 vaccine appointments unfilled in Kentucky, Indiana; officials blame hesitancy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - As eligibility expands, hundreds, if not thousands of potential vaccine appointments in Kentucky and Indiana remain open this week.

At the UofL Cardinal Stadium mass vaccination site Tuesday, Associate Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hugh Shoff told WAVE 3 News about 3,000 doses were administered, though UofL has previously indicated the site has the capacity to distribute 4,000 doses a day.

“I would like to see the appointments fill up of course and that’s really the key, I’m a little surprised at how many we still have,” Shoff said.

Shoff explained about 3,000 doses were also administered on Monday, the first day the Cardinal Stadium site was open.

As of Tuesday, several appointments were still unfilled at the Cardinal Stadium site and other vaccination sites across Jefferson County.

Local hospitals, community health departments, grocery stores, pharmacies, and even some universities are offering shots in the Louisville area this week and beyond.

For more information on how to schedule a vaccine appointment in Kentucky, visit the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Floyd County Health Officer Dr. Tom Harris told WAVE 3 officials in Indiana are also seeing fewer vaccination appointments filled.

“We had 180 slots filled out of 500 for tomorrow,” he said. “Initially we were saturated and booked into the future but as the [eligibility] age has come done and more people have been vaccinated we’ve seen more openings.”

Harris said Floyd County hopes to fill more than 300 appointments Wednesday.

For more information on how to schedule a vaccine appointment in Indiana, visit the Indiana Department of Health online.

Both Harris and Shoff point to vaccine hesitancy and the possible “inconvenience” of vaccination appointments as potential causes behind the apparent lack of interest.

In Kentucky, only 36% of the population has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; in Indiana, it’s 31%.

Officials in both states hope those numbers increase as more vaccination options become available.

“When you’re thinking about it for yourself, understand this is a way we can protect everyone around us,” Shoff said.

Anyone 16 and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Kentucky and Indiana.

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