More than 250,000 Indiana seniors sign up for COVID-19 vaccine so far

Less than one week after Indiana expanded who is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, more than 250,000 seniors age 70 and older have scheduled appointments, state health officials said Thursday.

About half of those appointments, or more than 125,000, were made Wednesday after the state extended an invitation to get vaccinated to those who 70 to 79 years old.

More:Indiana has received 520,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to date, state says

More:State's COVID-19 vaccine registration site open to people 70 and older

More:Indiana coronavirus cases: 4,411 cases, 40 new deaths reported

Seniors reported glitches with the state website Wednesday as well as long waits for someone to pick up at the call center, as eager Hoosiers overwhelmed the systems. State health officials advised people to be patient, try again, and keep checking to find a time and place to be vaccinated.

State officials have said that they are prioritizing the vaccine rollout by age because the risk of developing severe disease or dying from COVID-19 increases with age.

While people age 70 and older make up 11% of the population, this age group accounts for 42% of COVID hospitalizations and 78% of deaths.

The next group of people to become eligible for vaccine, state health officials have said, is those 60 and up.

Only five days separated expanding vaccines from the 80 and older group to the 70 and older group.  State health officials have said their timing for expanding vaccine eligibility will depend on demand and availability.

People in the 70-to-79 age range make up about 7% of the state's population while those 80 and over comprise under 4% of the population.

To make an appointment, visit www.ourshot.in.gov or call 211.

Contact IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at shari.rudavsky@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter: @srudavsky.