Wood County is receiving 600 doses of a coronavirus vaccine this week, with EMS and critical care
hospital workers, along with persons in congregate care, first in line to get them.
“We’ve known all along that when the vaccine was first available, we’d receive smaller amounts then
increase as production ramps up,” said Health Commissioner Ben Robison in a Tuesday interview. “We’re
excited to have the 600 that are here.”
The health department should be receiving weekly allocations of vaccine, he said.
A registration process is available for agencies that are not affiliated with a major hospital or health
system, Robison said. This could be physician and dental offices.
“We are trying to make sure we connect with every phase 1A recipient that wants to receive a vaccine,” he
said.
Robison continued to encourage Wood County residents to remain vigilant about staying home, wearing a
mask and not gathering during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
“If you look at our numbers, our numbers are high, they remain high,” he said.
He added that the rate of increase in case numbers has slowed. Wood County had been at 100 cases per
100,000 residents, then 50 per 100,000, and is now at 10.
It’s encouraging news, Robison said, but not enough to relax.
“We have a lot of work to do as a county,” he said, asking residents to commit to safe practices as they
did for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Local hospital utilization remains high, Robison said.
“We recognize as long as the case numbers remain high, possibly even a small percentage of people could
have an impact on how care is delivered,” he said. “We’re encouraged by small gains in capacity, but
it’s nothing we should let our guard down on.”
Visit the health department website for information on how to celebrate the holidays safely:
https://sites.google.com/view/wchdohio-coronavirus/home/holiday-planning
Below is information from a Tuesday health department press release:
The Wood County Health Department has plans in place for distributing a first shipment of 600 Moderna
COVID-19 vaccines that is expected to arrive this week.
These vaccines will be distributed to people who wish to receive them locally in line with Ohio’s Phase
1A plan for offering the first vaccines to health care workers, emergency medical responders and people
who are at the greatest risk for severe illness.
Vaccine recipients will include health care workers, EMS personnel and people with developmental
disabilities who live in group settings.
The two vaccines that have been approved and recommended to prevent COVID-19 require two injections, with
several weeks between them, before they begin to offer the best protection. The vaccines Wood County
expects to receive this week will be the first dose for those in the identified critical groups. A
second dose will be delivered and administered in the future.
Wood County expects to continue receiving regular vaccine shipments but doesn’t yet know how long it will
take to provide vaccines to everyone who wishes to receive them as part of Phase 1A, according to a
Tuesday news release.
As Wood County receives additional vaccine doses, a multi-sector coalition will allocate them in the best
ways to efficiently vaccinate the community. This process will continue to involve working with first
responders and representatives of health-care organizations and long-term care facilities.
If you believe you are part of Phase 1A, one person from your organization should complete an online form
(https://forms.gle/Lju4xWNgkTzYT2rX7) that will gather initial information. Availability of vaccines
will depend on future shipments from the state of Ohio. Be patient, and the health department will
contact you when more information is available.
COVID-19 vaccines are not yet available for the general public. As information becomes available about
the next phases of vaccine distribution, it will be made public.
Information about vaccines can be found from Wood County Health Department
(Coronavirus.WoodCountyHealth.org), the Ohio Department of Health (Coronavirus.Ohio.gov) and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (Coronavirus.gov).
The mission of Wood County Health Department is to prevent disease, promote healthy lifestyles and
protect the health of everyone in Wood County. Our Community Health Center provides comprehensive
medical services for men, women and children. We welcome all patients, including uninsured or
underinsured clients, regardless of their ability to pay, and we accept most third-party insurance. For
more information, visit www.WoodCountyHealth.org.