Clark County is receiving nearly 2,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses next week to be used for Phase 1b eligible residents.
Gov. Mike DeWine released the vaccination scheduled last week for Phase 1b, a group that includes Ohioans ages 65 and older, K-12 school staff and those with severe medical issues. DeWine said Ohioans ages 80 and older will be able to start receiving coronavirus vaccines on Tuesday, with the state extending the age group eligible to receive the vaccine by five years each week.
Patterson told residents to be patient as the county begins this massive endeavor.
There are 5,600 Clark County residents ages 80 and up, who will be among the first in Phase 1b to receive a shot.
As of Friday, the health district had already scheduled over 1,000 doses, but Patterson said they still have appointments available.
Scheduling appointments eliminates large crowds, moves individuals through the process efficiently and keeps individuals socially distanced to eliminate the possible spread of COVID-19, Patterson said.
He added that the county will not vaccinate any person that is not in Phase 1a or the current Phase 1b because the county is following the governor’s orders.
Seven providers in Clark County have been approved to start distributing the vaccine to residents. Beginning Tuesday, Clark County residents ages 80 and over can be vaccinated by the following entities, all by appointment only:
- Clark County Combined Health District and Mercy Health are partnering to administer vaccines at one location at the Upper Valley Mall. Residents are encouraged to sign up for alerts from the health district at ccchd.com or call 937-717-2439.
- Rocking Horse Community Health Center, located at 651 S. Limestone St. in Springfield, will be offering the vaccine by appointment only during varied hours. Rocking Horse patients will take priority. To schedule an appointment contact 937-525-4521.
- The New Carlisle Community Health Center, located at 106 N. Main St. in New Carlisle, is setting up a dedicated phone line for scheduling. Those phone lines will be available soon. For now, residents are encouraged to watch their social media accounts for updates.
- All Three Springfield-area Kroger pharmacy locations — 2728 E. Main St., 965 N. Bechtle Ave. and 2989 Derr Rd. — will all offer the vaccine. Kroger customers are encouraged to visit kroger.com/ohiocovidvaccine or call the COVID-19 vaccine helping at 866-211-5320 for more information. The helpline will be active starting Saturday.
- Discount Drug Mart, located at 7617 Dayton-Springfield Rd., will be offering the vaccine by appointment only. To schedule an appointment call 937-863-0045 or visit discount-drugmart.com.
Clark County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Michelle Clements-Pitstick joined Patterson on Friday. “Clark County is not wasting any vaccine,” she said. “We don’t have vaccine just sitting on the shelves. We intentionally schedule these appointments to ensure the entire vial is used once it’s opened.”
“If we get extra doses we have other people who qualify in that range, on that list,” Patterson added.
Appointments for residents 75 and over and residents with severe congenital, developmental or an early-onset medical disorder are expected to open at the end of next week, Patterson said. That group will be able to begin receiving the vaccine on Jan. 25.
He explained that they will not schedule appointments until they know what their allocation is.
More information about what medical conditions will be considered severe and how those people can get vaccinated will be available next week, DeWine said on Thursday.
Patterson said the county is down from the December coronavirus case peak where there were 100 cases a day. He added that he is expecting the vaccination series to have a “significant effect” over the next month or two on the number of coronavirus cases the county is seeing.
In Clark County, 4,260 shots have been given, according to ODH.
Clark County had 10,451 cases of the coronavirus as of Friday afternoon, according to ODH. The county also had 259 deaths and 12 probable deaths, according to data from the CCCHD.
Total deaths related to the coronavirus in Ohio have doubled since October, about seven months into the pandemic, when the number hit 5,000.
Ohio reported 7,149 daily cases, bringing its total case count to 814,442. Friday was the sixth straight day daily cases have remained below 8,000.
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