By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County Health Department officials want to make getting a COVID vaccine as easy as possible – even if that means offering the shots in the middle of the night.
Now all they need is more vaccines.
Health Commissioner Ben Robison laid out the plans underway in the county to the board of health Thursday evening.
With its partners, the health department has the capacity to give more than 5,000 vaccines a week – meaning every resident in the county who wants the vaccine could have it by mid-summer.
But right now, the vaccines are trickling in. As of Wednesday, the number of first doses of the COVID vaccine already given in Wood County was 4,839 – which is 3.7% of the county’s population.
“This vaccine is incredibly scarce,” Robison said.
However, the health department stands ready for whatever vaccine is sent here.
There are currently 14 vaccine providers working with the health department – but Robison wants more, and is working with 30 more sites to provide vaccines.
“It’s our belief the more we can move the vaccine,” the more the county will receive from the state.
Robison said the health department is committed to meeting the needs of local residents – even if that means offering the vaccines during odd hours, like 10 p.m. to 2 p.m.
“We want to be the provider that meets gaps,” he said.
Because the vaccine is so limited, there are no plans currently to hold a mass vaccination site. Instead, the health department plans to make it available at as many locations as possible.
Each week, a list of locations with vaccines will be posted at Vaccine.WoodCountyHealth.org. There are five different providers in Wood County with the vaccine to distribute next week. Appointments can be made, so people won’t be waiting in long lines.
When those five providers run out of vaccines, they will be replaced on the list by other providers who then have the vaccine.
Robison asked that people be patient.
“I expect those will fill up rather quickly,” he said of the vaccine registration lists. People will likely have to try multiple times before securing a spot.
“I know it will create some frustration,” Robison said. “But supply is well below demand.”
People should wait to register until they are eligible – since it is unknown which providers will have the vaccines from week to week.
Robison told the board that the health department will provide the vaccines to anyone who meets the qualifications – “whether they live here or not. We’re going to work to support our partners, regardless of where they come from.”
Up until now, the vaccines have gone to 1A individuals – those in health care, first responders, and long-term care facilities. But starting soon, the vaccination process will open up to older adults and school personnel.
Wood County has no control over vaccine shipment quantities and delivery dates. The county will continue to be committed to getting vaccines out as quickly as possible – with no stockpiling of doses, Robison said.
“We feel like we’re positioned to move every dose,” he said.
For the first week of Tier 1B vaccines starting next week, five registered providers in Wood County will receive a combined 1,200 doses.
Vaccine opportunities will be posted at Vaccine.WoodCountyHealth.org
Each week, the required age to be eligible for vaccines will be reduced by five years. So this schedule will be followed:
- Week of Jan. 19 – People 80 and older become eligible for the vaccine.
- Week of Jan. 25 – People 75 and older will become eligible, along with people who have severe congenital or developmental disorders.
- Week of Feb. 1 – People age 70 or older are eligible, as are employees of K-12 schools that commit to in-person or hybrid education.
- Week of Feb. 8 – People 65 and older become eligible.
There are many moving parts to the vaccination process. When a new age group becomes eligible, vaccinations may not be complete for the previous age group. And health care workers who received their first doses will also be eligible to get their second doses.
“The more we can vaccinate individuals, the more we can drive the disease down,” Robison said. “We’re not going to stop until we’re done.”
For vaccines administered by the Wood County Health Department, a mobile application and website called ArmorVax will be used for registration. Details about this can be found at Vaccine.WoodCountyHealth.org. People who would like to speak to someone to schedule an appointment, can call 419-352-8402 and choose option 1. During the initial launch, the Health Department is partnering with the Wood County Committee on Aging and 2-1-1, which are providing support for vaccination scheduling.
Public and private K-12 schools are working with the Wood County Health Department to develop their vaccination plans. Each school district may take different approaches, based on their specific needs. Schools will be releasing details directly to their eligible staff.
Also at Thursday’s meeting, the board of health:
- Heard from Robison that some providers charge an “administration fee” for the vaccines. The health department charges nothing.
- Learned that while the health department has been receiving the Moderna vaccine, it will receive its first doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week. “We feel completely prepared for this,” Robison said.
- Heard from Robison that due to increased COVID cases here, the Wood County Health Department contact tracing staff is no longer assisting other counties trying to catch up.
- Learned from Amy Jones, the health department’s director of health promotion and preparedness, that chlamydia and gonorrhea numbers in the county have been eclipsed by COVID. “Those are always our top two – except for this year with COVID.”
- Voted to give health department employees a 2.5% cost of living pay increase for 2021.
- Voted to give one-time “thank you” payments of $500 for full-time, and $250 for part-time employees for their efforts during the pandemic.
