CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A FEMA mass vaccination site was opened Tuesday in Gary.
Governor Eric Holcomb opened the site at Roosevelt High School, located at 730 W. 25th Avenue.
"This day - everything else just pales in comparison to getting our lives back. Let's put the greater good front and center," he said.
Holcomb said the new COVID mass vaccination site will be able to inoculate 100,000 people in eight weeks.
Indiana's Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said there is no residency requirement and the site, capable of giving 2,000 shots a day, is open to anyone.
She said they strongly encourage appointments, and people can do so by signing up at ourshot.in.gov or by calling 211.
FEMA Regional Administrator Kevin Sly told a personal story that, he said, made him become the "Pied Piper of vaccination," especially for African Americans, like his family.
"A large majority of my family contacted COVID-19 around this time last year - my grandmother, who is 89; my mother, who is 70; my uncle; my twin sister; and various cousins. I am thankful. We were lucky, they all made it through," he said.
Governor Holcomb said the site represents "equity" and "access" for those most impacted by the pandemic.
The site opened the same day that Governor Eric Holcomb's mask mandate expired.
He said a lot of factors went into the decision and said politics was not one of them, despite what some critics say.
Holcomb said he is concerned about the resulting patchwork of regulations and he's encouraging the continued use of masks.
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The site is manned by members of the Indiana National Guard.
One member said, "this has been my life for about a year." He said he started with testing sites and then moved on to vaccination sites.