The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Vaccine coming for teachers
More Lorain County residents are getting their vaccinations against the novel coronavirus pandemic, the county’s health commissioner said.
On Feb. 2, the Lorain County Community Protection Team held its weekly online meeting to discuss progress in the fight against COVID-19.
The group is made up of local public health experts, elected officials and representatives from social services, nonprofits and the business community.
Demand for vaccines remains strong and outpaces supply, said Lorain County Public Health Commissioner Dave Covell.
“So far, so good, our case count keeps going down,” Covell said.
He did not have an exact case count, but said Lorain County’s updated case count this week would show an overall decrease.
Shots for teachers
Lorain County educators will get their vaccines Feb. 26, the final Friday of the month, Covell said.
That amounts to 5,500 people in a day, he said.
Ohio teachers and school staff are included among people eligible for the vaccine in the state’s Phase 1B group.
The state has a goal for all educators to get their first dose by March 1.
The shots will go out for educators starting this week, with county distribution divided over the four weeks of February.
Lorain County schools are in the fourth week of the schedule for shots.
Learn more
Lorain County is following Ohio’s plan to vaccinate those most at risk for getting very sick or dying from COVID-19.
Once more COVID-19 vaccines are received, the health department will schedule clinics and invite groups according to Ohio’s vaccination plan.
To be notified of future clinics, sign up at www.loraincountyhealth.com.
People also may view a list of local COVID-19 vaccine providers at http://bit. ly/lococovidvax.
COVID-19 vaccines
As of Feb. 1, Lorain County Public Health had received 7,710 vaccine doses and distributed 6,937 of them, including 6,287 first doses and 650 second doses.
The figures do not include vaccines given to residents and workers at residential care facilities, hospitals or medical offices.
Overall, Lorain County has 23,518 people who have started the two-dose vaccine cycle.
That is an estimated 7.59 percent of county population, according to figures from the Ohio Department of Health.
Public health experts have some concerns about models are predicting another COVID-19 wave at the beginning of March or beginning of April, Covell said.
“Again, the most important piece of this is get as much vaccine into the community, especially to high risk folks, as fast as we can, so if that wave does come, it doesn’t have the bad health outcome, or at least not as bad as it’s been,” Covell said.
Maintain precautions
Mercy Health is seeing numbers flatten out for COVID-19 cases, said Char Wray, chief operating officer for Mercy Health - Lorain.
That is good news, but local residents still should maintain precautions against the spread of the novel coronavirus, she said.
That includes wearing face masks, frequent hand washing, not touching the face, maintaining social distances and avoiding large groups, Wray said.
“As we’re educating our employees and our patients, and even the community, the virus is still there,” she said. “Don’t let your guard down just because you know the population is getting vaccinated.
“We’ve still got a little bit of ways to go here before we can proclaim any sort of victory over this thing.”
Keep the card
People who get the shot also get a card showing the date and whether it is the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.
They should keep it in a wallet, purse or wherever helps them remember to bring it for the second dose, Covell said.
It is important to deliver the matching second dose on time to ensure effectiveness, he said.
Another clinic
On Feb. 2, Lorain County Public Health distributed 1,258 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at a clinic at Lorain County Community College.
The clinic, for adults age 75 and older, had a vaccination rate of 200 people an hour.
No one had to wait outside in the cold, Covell said.
There were 34 workers, including 27 Lorain County Public Health staff members, three from the agency’s medical reserve corps and four Elyria city medics.
The event was held in partnership also with LifeCare Ambulance and the Elyria Police Department.
Clinic logistics
Lorain County Public Health continues to iron out the flow of people and medicine at the mass vaccination clinics.
Covell asked the participants to talk to the health agency before publicizing upcoming clinics.
“We don’t want to be overwhelmed, but we also don’t want to have vaccine left over,” he said. “So, sometimes, there’s a balance there.”
People may sign up for the vaccine through Lorain County Public Health and store pharmacies, and get the shot at a pharmacy, so they no longer need to attend that public health clinic.
That means the health agency must invite more people to the mass vaccinations.
But, if the clinic is advertised ahead of time, then everybody comes and if they are in the appropriate age group, Lorain County Public Health can’t turn them away, Covell said.
Some older folks like to show up early, which translates to longer wait times at the site, he said.
“If people come during their timeframe they’re invited, everything will be fine,” Covell said.
Smooth operations
Lorain County Public Health is not taking individual appointments because that would take much longer than the mass vaccinations, Covell said.
But for moderately healthy adults who can get around a little bit, those clinics are really fast, he said.
Covell asked the local elected leaders to reach out to senior groups in case they miss online notices or emails about clinics.
The health agency also is looking for connections with senior groups who can get to a clinic quickly if there are more doses than participants at a site, Covell said.
Another vaccine
It appears the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be approved for use in coming weeks, Covell said.
It appears to have lower effectiveness in preventing people from catching the disease, but strong effectiveness fighting infections that cause hospitalizations or death, he said.
That is important because if a person catches COVID-19 and has mild symptoms, but does not go into the hospital and die, it makes the novel coronavirus “a lot more tame,” he said.