The Union County Health Department is working to vaccinate as many residents as possible, as they continue testing, disease investigation and contact tracing, as well.
“Our priority right now, hands down, has to be vaccination,” Union County Health Commissioner Jason Orcena said during Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting.
After nearly a month of COVID-19 vaccinations locally, UCHD is now balancing administering first and second doses of the vaccine, which requires two shots about a month apart.
As of Wednesday morning, Orcena said UCHD has vaccinated 503 individuals in Phase 1A, which includes EMS and healthcare workers directly caring for COVID-19 patients.
Orcena said UCHD hosted four closed clinics for this group. It was initially intended for 500 individuals, but staff was able to draw three additional doses from the vials.
At this point, he said local health departments and other vaccine distributors have been advised by Gov. Mike DeWine to “move on” to Phase 1B.
Phase 1B includes individuals 65 and older, adults working in K-12 schools and people with specific, severe illnesses. Vaccines were reserved this week specifically for those 80 and older.
From now on, Orcena said the health department will receive a shipment of new vaccine for first doses and second doses for those who have already started vaccination.
For instance, he said staff planned to give 200 individuals who are 80 or older their first shot on Wednesday, while giving 160 people in Phase 1A their second dose.
Orcena noted that local health departments must commit to following state eligibility guidelines in order to receive shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We really only know who we’re vaccinating each week, each week,” Orcena said.
UCHD is given a heads up as to how many doses they will receive each week, but Orcena said there is “no guarantee when it will arrive.”
Generally, shipments of the Moderna vaccine are supposed to arrive Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday while the Pfizer vaccine is received Tuesday or Wednesday.
With such broad windows, the health department cannot effectively plan clinics further than a week in advance.
This was made clear recently, as Orcena said UCHD did not receive shipping confirmation for the vaccines used at Wednesday’s clinic at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“It’s definitely a stressful process, I’ll leave it at that,” Orcena said.
Despite the short notice and limited supply, the health commissioner said Union County’s vaccination clinics are going smoothly.
“What we can control, we are controlling and making the best of everything we are given at this point,” he said.
Orcena noted that the health department is doing the best it can to inform residents and answer questions from the community.
He said UCHD currently has eight employees answering the COVID-19 hotline at any given moment. They are yielding approximately 150 calls per day just regarding the vaccine, Orcena said.
The volume of calls is so high, he said, that he “could add ten people and (the hotline) would still be challenged.”
However, Orcena said he is hesitant to have more employees answer phones because it diverts them from the “primary goal of vaccinations.”
“Eight people answering the phones – that’s eight people I can’t have doing anything else,” he emphasized.
Board member Wayne Dellinger said one question he has been frequently asked is whether UCHD checks for residency when scheduling appointments.
Orcena said the vaccines are considered a “federal asset,” which is distributed to states, then local distributors.
For that reason, he said the health department is prohibited from limiting its vaccines to Union County residents. As long as an individual meets the eligibility requirements, they can receive a shot.
“I’ve heard of people that drove to Indiana to get vaccinated,” Orcena said.
He said he anticipates UCHD will see individuals from neighboring counties at its clinics, but Union County residents may also go to Franklin County or elsewhere for their shots.
“I don’t care where you get your vaccine,” Orcena said, “Just get it.”
Although the health department has “a lot on our plate,” Orcena said he is thankful for volunteers – like those in the Medical Reserve Corps – and local agencies assisting UCHD.
“The partnerships in the community are making this work as well as it is,” he said.