Cloverdale Drugs now giving COVID vaccines

Stephanie Pasky of Zionsville gets the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at Cloverdale Drugs Monday morning. The pharmacy is running a clinic with an allotted number of vaccines.

Banner Graphic/BRAND SELVIA

CLOVERDALE — As eligibility for receiving COVID-19 vaccines continues to open up statewide, a locally-owned medical provider has stepped up to help get them into people’s arms.

Cloverdale Drugs is now in its second week of offering a clinic to administer the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to both local and out-of-county patients.

The pharmacy has been given a continual allocation of 100 doses per week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This process is being vetted in turn through the state as vaccines continue to be rolled out elsewhere.

Vaccine eligibility opened up to those age 30 and over on Monday. This is set to extend to Hoosiers 16 and over beginning Wednesday. Per the Food and Drug Administration, though, those 18 and younger can only get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Co-owner and pharmacist Amanda Laney told the Banner Graphic Monday that all slots which were available through April had been filled. Allotments through May are expected, but the state still has to approve the location’s schedule.

Cloverdale Drugs — co-owned along with Crossroads Care Pharmacy in Bainbridge by Laney and husband Ben ­­— is one of few independent pharmacies which the state agreed to work with to get vaccines out. This helps it being a smaller provider that serves a more rural population.

“A lot of people don’t want to or can’t travel to get their vaccines, and it provides a local resource for those patients,” Laney said. “It’s also good for some patients who maybe can’t walk as far to the bigger facilities.”

Including local residents, Cloverdale Drugs has seen people from the Bloomington, Indianapolis and Terre Haute areas. Laney provided that they have come specifically for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which does not require a booster like the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech ones.

Despite the pharmacy’s small space and the limited allotment of vaccines, holding the clinic and being a resource for those it serves is a worthwhile contribution for Laney.

“Obviously our allocation isn’t as large as other area vaccinators, but we serve a smaller community and space is a constraint for us to a point,” she said. “It’s just that many more people that we’re able to serve. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to serve our local community.”

Laney said that Crossroads Care Pharmacy has been set up to administer the vaccine as well. However, no doses have been allocated for this location as of Monday.