Recently, the Food and Drugs Administration has authorized the use of two COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the United States will follow several phases.
COVID-19 Vaccination: Phase 1A Distribution
Phase 1A will include those below who choose to be vaccinated:
- Healthcare workers and personnel who are routinely involved in the care of COVID-19 patients.
- Residents and staff in nursing homes.
- Residents and staff in assisted living facilities.
- Patients and staff at state psychiatric hospitals.
- People with developmental disabilities and those with mental health disorders, including substance use disorders, who live in group homes, residential facilities, or centers, and staff at those locations.
- Residents and staff at our two state-run homes for Ohio veterans.
- EMS responders.
COVID-19 Vaccination: Phase 1B Distribution
Phase 1B will specifically include those below who choose to be vaccinated:
Ohioans, age 65 and up.
Ohioans with severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset, and inherited conditions including cerebral palsy;spina bifida;severe congenital heart disease requiring hospitalization within the past year;severe type 1 diabetes requiring hospitalization within the past year;inherited metabolic disorders including phenylketonuria;severe neurological disorders including epilepsy, hydrocephaly, and microcephaly;severe genetic disorders including Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, and muscular dystrophy;severe lung disease, including asthma requiring hospitalization within the past year, and cystic fibrosis;sickle cell anemia;and alpha and beta thalassemia;and solid organ transplant patients. If people believe they fit in this category, they should contact their local board of developmental disabilities, which will help coordinate vaccinations.
Adults/employees in K-12 schools that want to go back, or to remain, educating in person.
Phase 1B Timing
Vaccinations in Phase 1B are expected to begin the week of January 19. Governor DeWine announced a tiered system for offering vaccinations to the estimated 2.2 million people who are eligible for the vaccine under this phase, beginning with those who are 80 or older. When a new age group begins, vaccinations may not be complete for the previous age group. It will take a number of weeks to distribute all of the vaccine given the limited doses available.
Jan. 19, 2021 – Ohioans 80 years of age and older.
Jan. 25, 2021 – Ohioans 75 years of age and older; those with a developmental or intellectual disability AND one of the conditions: cerebral palsy; spina bifida; severe congenital heart disease requiring hospitalization within the past year; severe type 1 diabetes requiring hospitalization within the past year; inherited metabolic disorders including phenylketonuria; severe neurological disorders including epilepsy, hydrocephaly, and microcephaly; severe genetic disorders including Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, and muscular dystrophy; severe lung disease, including asthma requiring hospitalization within the past year, and cystic fibrosis; sickle cell anemia; and alpha and beta thalassemia; and solid organ transplant patients. If people believe they fit in this category, they should contact their local board of developmental disabilities, which will help coordinate vaccinations.
Feb. 1, 2021 – Ohioans 70 years of age and older; employees of K-12 schools that wish to remain or return to in-person or hybrid models.
Feb. 8, 2021 – Ohioans 65 years of age and older.
Feb. 15, 2021 – Ohioans with severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset, and inherited conditions including cerebral palsy; spina bifida; severe congenital heart disease requiring hospitalization within the past year; severe type 1 diabetes requiring hospitalization within the past year; inherited metabolic disorders, including phenylketonuria; severe neurological disorders including epilepsy, hydrocephaly, and microcephaly; severe genetic disorders including Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, and muscular dystrophy; severe lung disease, including asthma requiring hospitalization within the past year, and cystic fibrosis; sickle cell anemia; and alpha and beta thalassemia; and solid organ transplant patients. If people believe they fit in this category, they should contact their local board of developmental disabilities, which will help coordinate vaccinations.
Vaccine recipients must be age 16 or older to be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and age 18 or older to be eligible for the Moderna vaccine. Local boards of developmental disabilities will reach out to individuals who meet eligibility requirements to coordinate vaccinations. These boards will work with children’s hospitals and some local health departments on scheduling. Only those individuals in this population that work with their local developmental disabilities board will be eligible for vaccination at this time.
Ohioans should check the websites of their local health departments and EMAs to learn more about vaccinations in their community or to sign up to receive updates from the local health department. Groups defined by age will receive the vaccine from local health departments, hospitals, federally-qualified health centers, as well as some retail pharmacies. Providers for other audiences are yet to be announced. A statewide Vaccine Provider Locations search is available at vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov, allowing Ohioans to search by county and ZIP code to find a provider in their area to administer the vaccine.
Learn more here:
Ohio Department of Health
Vaccine Provider Location Search
What to Know Before Your Next Appointment
For all upcoming appointments:
If you are experiencing:
- fever
- cough
- shortness of breath
Or, if you have recently:
- been exposed to a known COVID-19 patient
- traveled recently, including within the United States
Please notify our office immediately. Do not proceed with your appointment until further notice.
Our Actions to Keep You Safe from COVID-19
Trusted Health Care follows all necessary precautions to ensure our patients’ safety and comfort during their scheduled appointments.
We strictly:
- Sanitize and clean the exam rooms and patient areas before your appointments.
- Follow the health and safety guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Check the temperature and any other signs and symptoms of COVID of our patients and employees as they arrive at the offices.
- Require each of our employees and patients to wear face masks at all times within the offices.
- Remind our patients and employees to sanitize/wash their hands every before and after consultation.
Trusted Health Care continues to provide primary care services to people across Ohio. We make sure to keep you away from harm during your appointments with us to the best of our abilities.
To stay updated with the latest information about COVID-19, follow these credible sites:
World Health Organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention