Local public health officials in Central Ohio and around the state are pleading for patience as anticipated Covid-19 vaccine supplies are only fractions of the population of seniors and school employees who become eligible next.
Local officials have little information yet on when they will receive shipments or how large they will be.
"Vaccine shipments arrive weekly on either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. We do not know the exact date the vaccine will arrive for that week’s use," the Union County Health Department in Marysville said in an update this week. "Our goal is to administer every dose we receive within the week we receive it."
The group labeled phase 1B includes Ohioans age 65 and older; starting Jan. 25, those with certain complex medical conditions; and starting Feb. 1, employees of school districts that will have returned to at least part-time in-person instruction by March 1.
In some cases the first group of healthcare workers and emergency responders haven't all been vaccinated yet.
Because the supply of vaccines remains much smaller than the population in those groups, the state is further stratifying the priority age group. Those age 80 and older are the first in line starting next week, with the eligibility dropping by five years each successive week.
Columbus and Franklin County officials were to release their plans for the upcoming weeks of vaccine rollout on Thursday. Here's the latest on the plans at the six Central Ohio counties outside Franklin, including resident-only registration information for the 1B group if available:
- The Delaware General Health District is pre-registering here. The county so far has received a total of 1,100 doses for the 3,000 residents in the 1A priority group, according to a Jan. 8 update. The city of Columbus, where it extends into the county, is in the jurisdiction of Columbus Public Health.
- Fairfield County Public Health is pre-registering for appointments at the county fairgrounds. So far the county receives about 200 doses per week, the agency said, whereas the 1B population alone would require a supply of 4,000 weekly.
- Licking County plans to release a registration hotline on Friday for a "remote clinic location."
- Madison County plans to release registration information later Thursday.
- Pickaway County Public Health has not yet received information on its vaccine allocation for next week, but is pre-registering here for appointments at the fairgrounds.
- Union County Health Department plans its first drive-through, appointment-only clinic for the 80+ age group on Jan. 20. The county expects a supply of 100 to 500 doses a week, while there are 7,000 65+ residents in the county. The department plans to update its website with information on the online registration or alternate phone number later Thursday.