Ohioans age 60 and older and those with certain conditions or professions that put them at risk of contracting COVID-19 can receive the vaccine starting Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.
About 246,000 people comprise phase 1C, which includes professions and health conditions that put individuals at risk of COVID-19.
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Who is eligible
- Those with Type 1 diabetes.
- Pregnant women.
- Bone marrow transplant recipients.
- Those with Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS.
- Law enforcement and corrections officers, including active duty police officers with at least 20 hours of service, corrections staff, including probation and parole staff and firefighters with an active certificate.
- Retired, reserve or “special” forces are not included but volunteer firefighters are included.
- Child care and preschool employees, including teachers, administrators and substitutes.
- Funeral services employees, including embalmers and morticians, funeral home directors, crematory operators and apprentices.
On Thursday, Ohio will also start phase 2. This group will be staggered by age, starting with Ohioans age 60 and older in the first week. That age group includes about 695,000 Ohioans. The governor did not say how long it would take to include the next age group.
COVID-19 vaccine guide:Where and how to get a shot in the Cincinnati area
Who is not part of phase 1C
Other at-risk conditions, such as cancer or chronic kidney disease, were not included in the new list. Professions, such as restaurant workers or grocery store employees, haven't been given a date either. Ohio's rollout has prioritized age over professions and conditions, Ohio's chief medical officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said.
When can phases 1C and 2 get a vaccine
Starting Thursday, March 4.
What about phase 1B
Vaccinations in phase 1B began the week of Jan. 19 and those who qualify in that group are still eligible to get a vaccine. That group includes Ohioans who are 65 and older and specific qualifying medical conditions as well as school employees.
Eligibility for Ohioans born with or who have early childhood conditions that are carried into adulthood that put them at a higher risk for adverse outcomes are listed below:
- Sickle cell anemia.
- Down syndrome.
- Cystic fibrosis.
- Muscular dystrophy.
- Cerebral palsy.
- Spina bifida.
- People born with severe heart defects, requiring regular specialized medical care.
- People with severe type 1 diabetes, who have been hospitalized for this in the past year.
- Phenylketonuria (PKU), Tay-Sachs, and other rare, inherited metabolic disorders.
- Epilepsy with continuing seizures; hydrocephaly; microcephaly, and other severe neurological disorders.
- Turner syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, and other severe genetic disorders.
- People with severe asthma, who have been hospitalized for this in the past year.
- Alpha and beta thalassemia
- Solid organ transplant candidates and recipients.
Choosing a vaccine
DeWine didn't directly answer a question Monday about whether Ohioans can choose which vaccine they will get. But Ohio's chief medical officer, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, encouraged people to get whichever vaccine is available to them.
"We are confident that we now have three vaccines that will keep us safe and I think that that’s something that we can all feel good about," Vanderhoff said.
How to register or sign up to get a vaccine
If you are comfortable with the internet: Check your electronic medical record if you have a doctor connected to a major hospital system. You may get a notice there first about eligibility.
The state's one-stop vaccine appointment website has yet to go live. But the Ohio Department of Health has a map of 1,200 providers that are receiving doses at vaccine.coronvirus.ohio.gov. The map doesn't show whether a provider has doses to give or available appointments.
If you are not comfortable with the internet: Use the telephone. In Hamilton County, dial 211 for a help line staffed with United Way volunteers trained to help get you signed up. Most every other dispenser has a telephone number to call for help.
DeWine has encouraged vaccine providers to schedule two weeks out to open more slots for Ohioans.
Click here for more on where and how to get a vaccine in the Cincinnati area as well as websites and phone numbers for hospital systems, health departments and pharmacies.
Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson: What to know about the vaccines
A government advisory committee voted unanimously Friday to recommend authorizing a COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson for use in adults.
The J&J vaccine has several advantages over the other vaccines and one disadvantage: lower effectiveness.
In a large trial several months after the first two, the J&J vaccine was shown to be 72% effective in the United States and substantially less effective in South Africa and Latin America where two variants – which have now arrived in the United States – were spreading.
In the U.S., the vaccine appeared to be equally effective among all demographic groups, except among people over 60 with multiple medical problems in whom the effectiveness was lower.
Both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's vaccines were shown to be more than 94% effective last year when they were tested, though the arrival of the variants is also expected to reduce their effectiveness somewhat.
The Enquirer's Terry DeMio and Anne Saker and USA TODAY contributed to this report.
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