By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
From here on out, all COVID vaccination clinics organized by the Wood County Health Department will allow walk-ins. Most still have appointment slots for those who want a specific time, but others will be able to just show up.
“Every clinic from this point forward does not require an appointment,” Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Robison said Thursday morning.
When walk-ins arrive, they will be given a ticket with a time on it – so they know how long they will have to wait to get their shot.
“We want to try to make it as easy as possible to get a vaccine,” Robison said. “Hopefully this makes it easier to fit it in.”
When the vaccines were first offered, the demand was always greater than the availability of the doses. That has shifted now, with the doses numbering more than the demand. A vaccination clinic held at Owens Community College on Wednesday was stocked to provide 1,500 doses. A total 150 people scheduled the vaccine, and another 42 showed up as walk-ins, Robison said.
Initially the county was focused on distributing its limited supplies of vaccines to the most vulnerable elderly population. Now more than 80% of that population has been vaccinated.
In order to reach a younger crowd, vaccination clinics are being held this week at Otsego, Elmwood and Penta Career Center, where people 16 and older are being encouraged to get their shots. Children who are age 16 or 17 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to be vaccinated.
In an effort to take the vaccine directly to people, the health department is looking for businesses willing to host vaccination clinics.
Starting next week, the Wood County Health Department will hold a walk-in vaccine clinic every Monday from noon to 6 p.m. at the health department, 1840 E. Gypsy Lane Road, Bowling Green.
Robison is expecting the walk-in clinics to be popular among those people who have been unable to schedule appointments, and those who may have missed their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna.
“Our goal is to continue to make these as accessible as we can,” Robison said. “We want to be adaptive to the environment. We’re going to keep doing different things.”
It was a blow to public health planning when the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was put on pause earlier this week. In Wood County that one dose vaccine was primarily being used for college students, who could get the one shot and then go home for the summer fully vaccinated.
Robison is hoping those students still show up for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines here, then get their second doses back home.
The pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccines – based on six serious health impacts among nearly 7 million doses – should instill confidence in the vaccination process, Robison said.
“It reflects a continued commitment to patient safety,” he said. “It was shared openly with the public and providers.”
As of Thursday, Wood County’s 41.62% vaccination rate was the fourth highest among Ohio counties, just behind Delaware, Lake and Ottawa counties. A total of 54,445 Wood County residents have gotten at least their first dose of the vaccine.
As for those in the community who are resistant to getting the COVID-19 vaccine, Robison urged them to think beyond their personal health to their community.
“The vaccine does a really good job of preventing hospitalizations and deaths,” he said. “When we get a vaccine, it’s not just about protecting us. It’s about protecting our broader community.”
“It’s the ethics of putting others ahead of ourselves. We’re a county that values each other,” Robison said.
For the most recent information on vaccine availability or to schedule an appointment, go to Vaccine.WoodCountyHealth.org or call 419-823-9512.
