Rebecca Kelley of Anderson Township planned to be at her keyboard, fingertips poised, eyes wide open early Monday morning, ready for the COVID-19 vaccine hunt.
"Absolutely," Kelley said, "I'll start working all the channels."
She has an appointment scheduled for herself already. This one will be for her younger son, Adam, 16.
A junior at Anderson High School and member of the color guard of the Forest Hills Marching Band, Adam is ready to be vaccinated. "It will be a relief," he said.
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Vaccine tracker: Details on the rollout of shots across the Cincinnati region
Monday is the official first day, in Ohio, that kids 16 and older without high risk for severe COVID-19 effects – and all adults – may get vaccinated. While some Ohioans have been able to schedule in advance, Rebecca Kelley said she wasn't. But she won't wait any longer.
Ohio launches mass vaccination locations as residents 16+ become eligible for shots
Parents and teens scheduling must remember, the only COVID-19 vaccine currently approved for those 16 and 17 years old is the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Anyone looking for a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine may visit vaxchat.ohio.gov to talk with an Ohio Department of Health vaccine support virtual assistant and get help finding a provider who is currently offering the Pfizer vaccine, said Department of Health spokeswoman Alicia Shoults. "If those booking appointments have any additional questions, they should be contacting vaccine providers directly," she said.
Cincinnati Health epidemiologist Stephanie Courtney said the hunt for a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shouldn't be confusing for those scheduling a city Health Department appointment.
The city is partnering with ArmorVax.com, and for those who get the app, when an appointment is publicly viewable, the type of vaccine is listed along with the location. For example, the health department is partnering with Duke Energy Convention Center for vaccination appointments, and as of Friday, the ArmorVax scheduling device showed the center would be providing Pfizer vaccines.
Courtney also reminded that vaccine appointments are based on age. If someone happens to try to register for, say, a Moderna vaccine, registration will be blocked for those under 18.
Ohioans can get a vaccine appointment scheduled at a mass vaccination site by going through gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov. But they can try through any scheduling device, officials here said.
See The Enquirer's vaccine scheduling guide.
In Anderson Township, Adam said he has no qualms about the vaccines offered for COVID-19.
"The vaccines are known to be good, but some people think they're bad," Adam said. "Their evidence is baloney. Vaccines keep people safe."
He's headed for five-day school this week after having a Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday in-person school schedule, with Wednesdays virtual. His experiences with the color guard were limited last year, but he's hoping that will change with more students vaccinated before the new school year starts in the fall.
His brother, Alex, 17, is ready too, said their mother. He's commuting to Xavier University this year, where he has a hybrid schedule.
"Both boys cannot wait for life to return to as normal as possible," Rebecca Kelley said. "We've stayed in a bubble with my parents, who have both been vaccinated. The boys can't wait to be able to socialize more freely!"
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