COVID vaccine benefits those at risk for severe illness
With Phase 1B currently underway as part of the United State’s vaccination rollout program, people aged 80 and up could begin receiving vaccines this week.
Also included in the 1B phase are those with severe congenital or developmental disorders including those with: cerebral palsy, spina bifida, inherited metabolic disorders, people with severe asthma, Type 1 diabetes and cystic fibrosis.
Dr. Gary Grosel, chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare of Ohio, said that patients with Down syndrome do poorly when diagnosed with COVID as well.
Each week after will begin a new phase until the middle of February when vaccinations will be rolled out for everybody.
Grosel said that the state could be in good shape after a “couple of months” when everyone has a chance to get the vaccine.
“Herd immunity is 80% and that’s going to take a while the way things are going right now. Part of the issue is the availability of it,” said Grosel. “I think that’s going to start to ramp up here. We’re just hoping that the vaccine will become more available as more companies out there will be able to be FDA approved and things can move along as we think they should.”
The first vaccines in Ohio became available on Dec. 14 and Joint Township District Memorial Hospital re
ceived its first doses on Dec. 22.
Front-line health care workers and first responders were the first group to receive the vaccine.
On Dec. 31, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that 60% of Ohio’s nursing home workers had opted out of getting the vaccine.
Grosel said the reason many aren’t trusting themselves to get the vaccine is because they’re not trusting the science behind it.
“One of the main reasons people aren’t trusting is because it came out so fast,” said Grosel.
He explained that the reason that two vaccines were able to get approval in under a year was because it was affecting the entire world and the people developing them were the top in their field.
“What they have to put into perspective is that this really is the first time the whole world went 100 miles per hour to get it done because it was affecting everything — especially the United States — but also the whole world,” said Grosel. “The money was there; the government was helping — especially with the money — and then we had the top scientists throughout the world working on it. There really weren’t any corners that were cut, they did everything you would normally do with a vaccine.”
He said others might be waiting to see results from those that were vaccinated but he said to trust the science because there’s nothing nefarious taking place within the scientific community.
“The more people that get it and show that they got it — and are doing well — will help,” said Grosel. “A lot of people are just waiting to see because they’re not trusting the science. I mean I get that because a lot of the governmental administration was kind of down on science. I think we have to try — and what most people need to believe — is that the medical profession is trying to do the right thing. No one is trying to hurt anyone. The science and medical community, we’re trying to solve this issue and that’s where we do have to band together and trust what’s being done.”
He said there’s been issues within the Black community trusting it, adding that the clinical trials conducted of the vaccine were as “diverse as possible.”
“I can tell you that the companies have tried to be as diverse as possible to get in their trials to make sure we’re looking at every population,” said Grosel. “The only way to treat this is to get the vaccine. We are not going to get to herd immunity if people are not getting vaccinated. It’s just going to drag this out further and further.”
A final issue with the vaccination rollout has been trying to figure out where to go.
“People are wanting it but they have no clue where to get one,” said Grosel.
By visiting Vaccine.Coronavirus.Ohio.gov, you can enter your zip code or county and the website will direct you to the available locations.
In Auglaize County, locations are: the Auglaize County Health Department; Grand Lake Primary Care in St. Marys; JTDMH; Kroger Pharmacy in St. Marys; Lima Memorial Hospital – Lincoln Family Practice in Wapakoneta; Miami & Erie Family Practice in Minster and Wapakoneta Primary Care in Wapakoneta.