By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County Health Department is pushing the COVID-19 vaccines as quickly as they arrive. But the vaccine shipments aren’t nearly as fast as public health officials would like.
“We continue to ask for more than we are getting,” Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Robison said Thursday during an end of the year board of health meeting. “The vaccine is limited.”
The health department has received an initial shipment of 600 vaccine doses, followed by a second shipment of 200 doses.
Wood County has between 5,000 and 6,000 residents who qualify for the top priority (1A) to get vaccines first. That tier includes health care workers, emergency responders and people living in congregate medical facilities.
The second priority tier (1B) for vaccines in Ohio includes educators and school staffs, people 65 and older, and those with certain health conditions. Robison estimated that tier includes at least 40,000 people in Wood County.
The health department will not mandate that people get the vaccines. But its staff is encouraging people to do so when they qualify.
“We’ll get it out in the arms of people who are interested,” Robison said.
Each vial of the Moderna vaccines has at least 10 doses of vaccine. Since the vaccine must be used in a limited period once a vial is open, the health department is working to have back-up plans when providing the vaccine to health care, EMS or people in long-term care facilities.
“So no dose goes unused,” Robison said.
Health board member Bob Midden asked about the number of people unwilling to get the vaccine.
“It does raise some concern,” he said.
But Robison said the numbers locally are pretty high.
“We’ve also heard reports of people who said ‘no,’ and then changed their minds,” Robison said.
“I share your concern. I want to see high uptake,” Robison said.
So far, Wood County Health Department’s vaccine deliveries have been from Moderna, which don’t require extreme refrigeration like the Pfizer vaccine. But Robison told the health board that the health department can handle either.
“We feel we are capable of managing both,” he said.
The health department has agreements in place with BGSU to use its deep freezers, with Wood County Hospital, and is prepared to use dry ice and bubble wrap if necessary, he said.
“It’s different, but we can handle it,” Robison said.
The health department is prepping for getting larger shipments of vaccines, and lining up support for vaccination sites throughout the county, he said.
“Our goal is to prepare ourselves” to give thousands of vaccines a week, he said. “Every person at the health department has a role in the vaccination campaign.”
Robison also pointed out the strong partnerships that should help the vaccines reach more people. For example, the health department is working with local senior centers so vaccines can be offered through the meals on wheels service, he said.
An allocation team in the county has been working with the health department to determine how the vaccines should be distributed, using the state’s guidelines. On the team are representatives of local government, senior citizens, emergency management, health care, law enforcement, EMS, long-term care facilities and the media.
“We are weeks or months away from when we can move to the general population,” Robison said last week. The health department plans to put a self-triage quiz on its website to help people identify when their turn arrives for the vaccine.
Then the process starts all over again – with both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines requiring second doses. The Moderna second dose must come no sooner than 28 days after the first, and the Pfizer second dose must come no sooner than 21 days after the first.
Also at Thursday’s meeting, Robison praised the work of the health department’s contact tracers. Wood County may be the only in the state to currently be caught up on contact tracing, he said.
“It’s helped to keep our residents safe,” he said.
Because of that, Wood County Health Department was able to provide help recently to six other counties that needed help catching up, he said.
Robison specifically praised Director of Health Promotion and Preparedness Amy Jones for keeping up on contact tracing, and Finance Director Tracy Henderly for enabling the health department to use the federal dollars to hire personnel for those jobs.
“They are starting to get weekends back and not have to work holidays,” Robison said of the staff.
The health board voted at Thursday’s meeting to hire additional contact tracers, COVID response team members and communication team members for varying periods through January or June.
Robinson said Wood County’s COVID cases remain five or six times higher than the CDC’s definition of “high incidence.”
But board member D.J. Mears pointed out that Ohioans appear to be doing well following the guidelines, and should be praised for their efforts.
