OHIO — Gov. Mike DeWine’s plan to vaccinate as many Ohioans as possible is moving into the second part of Phase 1. 

 

What You Need To Know

  • The COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available for the general public, starting with the elderly ages 80 and over next week

  • There is a limited supply of vaccines available across the state, but more are coming, so residents will have to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine

  • Local health departments are confident in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine


Phase 1B will allow Ohioans ages 65 and up to start receiving the vaccine. 

Starting the Week of Jan. 18, Ohioans ages 80 and over can register for vaccinations. 

After, ages 75 and up the week of Jan. 25, ages 70 and up the week of Feb. 1, and ages 65 and up the week of Feb. 8. 

Across the Buckeye State, local health departments have begun announcing their vaccine plan. 

“The world has waited for this for a year,” Dayton and Montgomery County Public Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper said.

Cooper said this is a giant leap forward in the state’s plan to save lives, but in the initial stages there will be a limited supply available in the Miami Valley. 

“No, none of us are receiving the quantity, per se, that we want and we recognize this is a long-term endeavor to be able cover our populations, but at least it’s starting,” he said. “And there’s a sense of hope and a sense of purpose that we all have in terms of getting this vaccine into the community.

Dayton and Montgomery County Public Health, Premier Health, and Kettering Health Network will offer vaccinations at various locations across the Miami Valley, and Pharmacies like Kroger and Ziks will also be administering the vaccine — all of these are by appointment only. No walkups.  

 

Some folks in the Miami Valley view this as very exciting news.

Mark Sheets, 67, is a retired Wendy’s General Manager who is eager to get the vaccine.

“I do plan to get it because I have a wife who has cancer and she goes through Chemo, so I don’t want to bring it home and get her sick,” Sheets said. “So, I’m going to get it as soon as I can.”

He has faith the vaccine will work and is safe.

“I trust it because of all the people who have gotten it so far,” Sheets said. “I also have a daughter-in-law who works in health care. She got it, and she said there’s no problem with it. So, I’m ready to get it any time.” 

But not everyone is so certain. Doris McGuire, 82, said she is still on the fence about getting the vaccine. 

“Oh, I don’t know yet. I haven’t really made up my mind,” McGuire said. “I haven’t really made up my mind.” 

Health Commissioner Cooper said he has absolute faith that this vaccine will work. 

“We’ve always told our community the truth,” Cooper said. “It would be unconscionable for this Health Department to recommend someone to receive the vaccine if we though it wasn’t safe.”

Cooper said checking online is the easiest way for folks to find out where the vaccine is available. Each health care system, health center and pharmacy will have details on their websites, and starting Friday, the Ohio Department of Health’s website coronavirus.ohio.gov will have a tool to assist residents in finding a provider.

In the meanwhile, Cooper said it’s important for Ohioans to continue to follow pandemic guidelines. 

“We know that the vaccine can either prevent disease and/or minimize the symptoms of disease, similar to an influenza vaccine,” Cooper said. “But we don’t know long term whether individuals who have been vaccinated can still transmit the virus to other individuals. So it’s important that we continue to mask and social distance and so forth. But absolutely this is the start of what we’ve been waiting for, for a long time.”