Officials at the Logan County Health District receive frequent updates regarding the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine, and they reported during the Wednesday afternoon board of health meeting that the agency is likely to receive the vaccine as soon as the week of Dec. 28.
At the same time, many behind-the-scenes preparations have recently taken shape at the agency’s office, 310 S. Main St., so that staff members are ready to store and administer the vaccine.
An ultra-low temperature freezer that reaches temperatures between -40 and -85 degrees Celsius has recently been installed at the office through federal CARES Act dollars allocated to the health district from the county, Nursing Director Kelly Reaver and Logan County Health Commissioner Dr. Boyd Hoddinott said.
The unit could potentially handle the requirements of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer, Reaver said. When working with vaccine product in this freezer, specialty gloves are required to safely handle the items.
In addition, the CARES Act funds allocated to the agency from Logan County also are putting in place a new vaccination area that is under construction toward the rear of the office, replacing the former walk-in freezer that was aging and causing maintenance issues even before the pandemic began, officials related.
The new vaccination area will provide a “one-stop” shop for nurses with all of their supplies in one place, and it will also include vaccine refrigeration units that could store the COVID-19 immunizations as well, Reaver explained.
In the first round of vaccinations administered by the health district, the vaccine will be reserved for health care workers, anyone caring for COVID-19 clients and congregate care workers. Dr. Hoddinott related that CVS and Walgreens corporately will be responsible for vaccinating individuals in long-term care facilities.
Following the initial round of vaccines, Reaver said the agency will be following established protocol regarding who is eligible to receive the next immunizations.
Dr. Hoddinott related that likely the vaccine would at first be reserved for older adults since age is the biggest risk factor for becoming seriously ill or dying from COVID-19. He said 80 percent of the deaths with the virus are for those age 65 and older, and also noted that so far, there have been no deaths from the virus in Ohio for those ages 19 and younger.
So far, the vaccine has not been approved for use in children or expectant women, the health commissioner said.
About two weeks after receiving the first dose of the vaccine, individuals can expect to some level of protection against COVID-19. An individual can expect maximum protection against the virus about a week after their second dose of the vaccine, administered at least 30 days after the first dose, Dr. Hoddinott said.