BUCYRUS —After nearly a year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, one of two vaccines that have been produced have made it to Crawford County.
Kate Siefert, health commissioner for Crawford County Public Health, said that last Wednesday, a handful of public health nurses kicked off the morning by rolling up their sleeves to receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. They were quickly followed by several members of our local fire & EMS departments.
She said Crawford County Public Health received one box of the Moderna vaccine on Dec. 21 and quickly organized a clinic specifically for fire and EMS as outlined in Ohio’s phased approach.
According to the state’s information provided in a press release on Friday, the following Phase 1A members are currently receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. This phase includes health care workers and personnel, nursing homes residents and staff, assisted living facilities residents and staff, psychiatric hospital patients and staff, people with developmental disabilities and those with mental illness who live in group homes or centers and staff at those locations, Ohio veterans homes residents and staff, and EMS responders.
The local health departments and hospitals will assist with managing mass vaccination clinics as more vaccines are shipped to Ohio.
“Ohio’s public health departments and hospitals are experts at managing mass vaccination clinics, and I am thankful we can turn to them to begin vaccinating Ohioans against COVID-19,” said Governor Mike DeWine.
Siefert said she is thankful this monumental day is here and the hope it represents as we move into a new year.
“We only have 100 doses available today and we know we will quickly exhaust that small amount,” she said. “There are well over 400 individuals on our radar as being eligible during this first phase and we know we won’t reach them all this week. We have requested more vaccine at larger quantities for next week and plan on submitting weekly requests for the next several months.”
Ohio has established a phased approach to distribute vaccines while supply is limited. These early stages focus on reaching critical groups identified at increased risk. Hospitals are directly receiving shipments of the vaccine to distribute. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities will be vaccinated by either CVS or Walgreens while other identified groups will be vaccinated by health departments.
Siefert said the distribution of vaccine in Ohio is largely dependent on the number of doses available. As the vaccine supply increases, availability for other critical populations will expand with the intention of the vaccine becoming widely available later in 2021 to those who choose to receive it.
Amy Ramirez, Director of Nursing at Crawford County Public Health, was excited to receive her vaccine.
“I hope letting everyone know I received my first dose will instill a little bit of public trust in the vaccine because I think it is something we all need. It has been a tough year for many and I am looking forward to rounding the corner with the rest of the community,” said Ramirez.
These first vaccines went to members of fire and EMS from 13 different departments. This week, Crawford County Public Health will continue vaccinating fire and EMS staff that were unable to receive vaccine last week as well as other individuals identified in Ohio’s Phase 1A.
Siefert said the Moderna vaccine is an mRNA vaccine that does not contain a weakened or dead version of the virus. Instead, it works by having your own cells create a protein that mimics the spikes of the SARS-CoV-2 surface and teaches your antibodies to fight those spikes. If you should be exposed to the real virus, your body already knows to attack those spikes and your immune system can eliminate the virus before it has a chance to invade. To be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with the Moderna vaccine, two doses are required with the second dose occurring one month after the first dose.
The allocation of the COVID-19 vaccine to local health departments will be updated frequently as production increases. Crawford County Public Health will be posting information regularly on their Facebook page and encourages the community to like or follow their Facebook page to keep current on COVID-19 information and vaccine availability.
The COVID-19 vaccine is both safe and effective. It will save lives and slow the spread of the virus. To learn more, the Ohio Department of Health has a frequently asked questions (FAQ) website.