By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The number of COVID cases in Wood County continue to drop – as frustrations about accessing the vaccine continue to mount.
The Wood County Board of Health heard about both issues Thursday evening from Health Commissioner Ben Robison.
The good news is that the number of active COVID cases in Wood County as of today is 129. That compares to an average of 500 active cases on any given day at the beginning of January, Robison said.
“The pressure is coming off of our hospital systems,” he said.
A positive side effect has been the near absence of influenza cases in the region, Robison added.
The indicators that placed Wood County in Level Red for COVID are all dropping, and the health department has let go 11 of its contact tracers since they are no longer needed as the cases decrease, he said.
Those contact tracers can be called back if the numbers see a surge, he added.
While the decline in cases is great, the health department is hearing from residents with rising frustration levels when they try to schedule appointments for the vaccine.
The Armor Vax program used by the health department was the source of much of the irritation. Robison said the health department has worked with Armor Vax to iron out wrinkles.
“We got some of the early bugs out,” he said. “It is running more smoothly for people.”
However, a health board member and a couple members of the public expressed continued dissatisfaction.
“I felt the Kroger pharmacy process was much smoother,” said board member Nilgun Sezginis, who was trying to schedule a shot for her husband. “I felt it was much easier to navigate.”
A member of the public on the virtual meeting Thursday evening agreed with the assessment of Armor Vax.
“I find it very difficult,” she said.
She asked why people scheduling appointments need to provide insurance information if the vaccine is free. Robison explained that while providers are not allowed to charge for the vaccine itself, some charge an administration fee of $20 to $25. The health department does not charge an administration fee, he pointed out.
But in their desperation to get a vaccine, many people are missing that information, the woman told the board of health.
“People are so glad to get an appointment, they don’t pay attention,” she said. “They just click.”
Another woman echoed that the process is very difficult, with people being on hold for three hours when they call 211 to get a vaccine appointment.
“You’re like a rat in a maze,” she said about the Armor Vax process.
Robison pointed out that sign up for health department vaccines opens every Friday at noon. He thanked both women for their input.
“I hear your feedback and we absolutely need to do a better job,” he said.
The health department is working to improve the information pipeline, Robison said.
“We are certainly taking it seriously that people are experiencing frustration,” he said.
An information only phone line will soon be in operation to give the public the latest status of local vaccines. Robison compared the phone line to the old “time and temperature” number – which is still in operation in Bowling Green.
“This will be the time and temperature version of this,” he said.
The line will give callers the latest information on vaccines in Wood County, tell them how to connect with appointments for the vaccine, and tell them when the next update will be available.
The health department will also be expanding on-call opportunities for those who qualify for the shots and are willing to show up when extra vaccine is available.
“These appointments are few and far between,” Robison said.
The health department also plans to add more call support staff – perhaps as many as 40 people – so callers can talk to a real person, he said.
Many local residents trying to schedule vaccinations online have found themselves shut out by people signing up quickly. Last week, the online appointments at Mercy Health were all taken within 15 minutes of the start of signup.
However, 20% of the vaccine appointments are made through phone-based scheduling, Robison said. So, while the online appointments were quickly gone, many of the phone-based appointments were available up to five hours later, he said.
“There is an overwhelming demand right now for vaccines,” Robison said. But both Pfizer and Moderna have committed to increasing their production, he said.
Robison said he has fielded many phone calls from people who believe they should qualify for the vaccines now. He often agrees – but there just isn’t enough.
“We want to make this available as widely and as quickly as we can,” he said.
The county is prepared to handle as many as 10,000 a week, he said. The number of doses of the COVID vaccine being given in Wood County as of Wednesday is 13,194 – which is 10.09% of the county’s population.
“We are completely dependent on the vaccine supply,” Robison said.
Starting next week, the vaccine will be offered to people 65 and older, plus some teenagers with specific medical conditions.
