On December 1st, I conducted a roughly 45-minute podcast recording session with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness (the podcast can be heard in its entirety at this link).
During the podcast, I asked the mayor how he would assess the job his Fishers Health Department is doing in the battle with COVID.
Before getting into his response, allow me to review a little history here.
When COVID was spreading in the early months of 2020, it was clear that, with no vaccine available at that time, testing was the key to dealing with the virus. Fishers decided the health of its citizens and its business community were tied to the availability of testing.
That led to Scott Fadness announcing the creation of a Fishers City Health Department that was literally created from scratch. The department was started with a contract for COVID testing through a private company. The tests were drive-thru and generally at no cost. You received your results in a day or two.
Scott Fadness took a lot of public criticism for this move. He was accused of a power grab by separating the City of Fishers from the Hamilton County Health Department. But that did not deter the mayor.
Fishers turned out to be well ahead of other localities in the State of Indiana. When vaccines became available, the city quickly renovated a vacant former Marsh grocery near 116th Street and Brooks School Road. That vaccine facility is still open for business today.
The mayor was more than happy to answer my podcast question on his health department. He cited 82,000 COVID tests administered, and pointed proudly to the 70,000 vaccinations done at the Fishers site. It is interesting that about 50% of the vaccine shots were provided for people that do not even live in Fishers.
“So people are coming here to get their vaccines from a health department that got started 18 months ago,” the mayor told me.
Here is the number that the mayor was quick to share. The city is approaching a 90% rate of COVID adult vaccinations, surpassing the city’s initial goal of vaccinating 85%. What impresses the mayor is that this was accomplished in a state with an adult vaccination rate either 45th or 46th among the 50 states
When asked how to handle those still not vaccinated in the city, Fadness said some are just procrastinating and can still walk-in to the Fishers vaccination center anytime it is open and get the shot. He also admitted there are some that simply will not be vaccinated.
On December 3rd, the mayor hosted a virtual town hall, featuring Monica Heltz, Chief Medical Director for the Fishers Health Department…Dr. Indy Lane, Fishers Health Department’s Chief Medical Director and Community Health OBGYN…and Riley Children’s Hospital Pediatrician Dr. Michele Saysana.
Here are a few highlights of what was said by the health experts during that Town Hall:
mRNA Vaccine Technology – This technology for developing vaccines is different, but not much different in how vaccines are developed generally. The mRNA system uses a little snippet or copy of code, the part that tells your body how to make protein and target the body’s defenses. It self-destructs and does not linger in your system.
In response to questions about how our DNA might be impacted by vaccines, the health professionals say the vaccine helps the body make proteins. mRNA makes a protein then goes away…it overlays your DNA, makes a copy, makes a protein, then goes away. It never, ever, ever is incorporated into your DNA. It cannot change your DNA.
mRNA has been around a long time, but in the United States, we have never needed it before, thankfully. Technology has allowed for the quick rollout of the mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer and Moderna. mRNA is the process utilized to make the vaccine…no metal, no chips, nothing like that is inserted into your body using this vaccine.
Do these vaccines impact fertility? – The experts say no studies indicate COVID vaccines cause infertility. Some in the medical community refer to vaccines as little miracle drugs. Vaccines have been instrumental in preventing youngsters from getting Chicken Pox. Chicken Pox can be very dangerous in pregnancy, but vaccines have prevented this.
“I would tell all couples that are considering pregnancy, the best thing you can do, in addition to meeting with your physician to do that preconception counseling, is to be vaccinated for COVID,” said Dr. Indy Lane. “This is one less thing you have to worry about when the time comes and you are pregnant.”
Even if you are pregnant and do experience side effects from the vaccination, that will not impact the fetus.
As to male fertility, there is no medical evidence to indicate any vaccine impacts this, including the COVID vaccines.
As to how much medical data is available on the vaccines and booster shots, the elderly and medical professionals were first vaccinated about one year ago and the data supports the boosters. There is also plenty of data from the 30,000 participants in the initial testing started in the summer of 2020 to back the recommendation of booster shots.
Why is there a different vaccine dosage for chilren? – The different dosage amounts for children relate to how the studies were conducted. There had to be a cutoff somewhere, so that is why 5-11 year-olds have a different dosage than ages 12 and older. Dr. Saysana says those inoculated under the age of 12 should get the second shot 21 days after the first, the same waiting period as adults.
As to children and natural immunity, Dr. Saysana recommends children get the shot once back in school and out of quarantine. However, if the child had COVD MIS-C, or received monoclonal antibodies treatment, she recommends waiting 90 days and then receive the first shot. There is no evidence of adverse interaction between natural immunity and the vaccine, because the vaccination allows the body another reason to generate more antibodies.
Influenza shots – Monica Heltz recommends everyone get both the COVID and Flu shot. There is no adverse impact to receiving both shots the same day.
There was much more discussed in the Town Hall, which was video recorded and available at the link below.
Mayor Fadness summed-up the Fishers Health Department’s COVID performance this way.
“I hope over a period of time people will look back and realize what the folks at Fishers Health Department have accomplished in a very short period of time,” said the mayor. “The numbers are really pretty staggering.”
Fishers Mass Vaccination Site
12520 E 116th St, Fishers, IN 46037
Scheduled Operation Hours
- Monday: CLOSED
- Tuesday: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Thursday: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Friday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Saturday: 9a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Sunday: CLOSED
* Walk-in ends 30 minutes before closing time.
Upcoming Closures/Holidays
- 12/23- CLOSED
- 12/24 – Christmas Eve CLOSED
- 12/25 – Christmas day CLOSED
- 12/31- New Years Eve CLOSED
Fishers COVID Hotline at 317-595-3211