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LISBON -- With 600 coronavirus vaccines to distribute on Friday, the Columbiana County General Health District still had about 100 doses without a reservation as of Wednesday afternoon.
Those county residents ages 65 and older interested in getting on the list for Friday's drive-up clinic at the County Vaccination Complex at the fairgrounds should call 330-692-2210 and 330-429-5133 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. today to make a reservation. Only those who pre-register for the drive-up clinic can participate.
Despite an announcement by Gov. Mike DeWine that the state is launching a new centralized online registration system to assist people registering for coronavirus vaccine clinics, county Health Commissioner Wes Vins said the county will continue to stick with the current phone registration system.
Vins said many of the people who call in have a lot of good questions which the health department employee on the phone line is able to help answer for them as well as assuring them a vaccine is reserved for them when they arrive at this time.
"They don't want to talk to a machine or a computer," Vins said of many members of the county's elderly population. "They want to talk to someone."
Down the road, as the ages of those qualifying for vaccination become younger and more likely to easily navigate a computerized system, then the time may come for that.
Right now those who qualify in the county have many of options for vaccination. Those range between the county health department, the city health departments in East Liverpool and Salem and their community partners providing vaccines -- the three Community Action Agency locations, both the Salem and East Liverpool hospitals, Giant Eagle pharmacies, Marc's pharmacy in Salem, Discount Drug Mart in Lisbon and Walgreens in Salem.
Vins said he is still trying to get pharmacies or others interested in Columbiana, East Palestine, Wellsville and the Guilford Lake area, even if there is just a location where a clinic can be set up so fewer people need to drive for vaccinations.
Those with congenital health problems needing vaccinated are currently being served by the two county hospitals in Salem and East Liverpool.
Overall, Vins told the board of health at Wednesday's meeting the response by people in the community has been great. There are many people who have expressed they are just waiting until they are eligible to receive a vaccine and all the doses the health department receives are being used each week. If there were more doses available, Vins said the are sure they could vaccinate more people.
Additionally, the health department and other partners have lists of people willing to volunteer to help get people vaccinated.
Those receiving the vaccine have been reporting only a few symptoms locally, such as some soreness at the site of the vaccination on the first dose and possibly a little fatigue or slight flu-like symptoms with the second shot.
Vins called this point and time the recovery period, adding this is the chance for this community to begin getting past the virus, which has impacted so many lives and livelihoods over the past 11 months. The first positive case in Columbiana County was on March 19.
With people beginning to receive their second doses, medical services administrator Jamie Elenz said there have been some recent changes to quarantine rules. Those who are two weeks past their second dose who are exposed to someone sick with COVID-19 no longer need to quarantine unless they are having symptoms themselves or it has been longer than 90 days since their last dose. Elenz said she expects that 90-day limit may be extended down the road after more people reach it and we learn more about how long-term the coronavirus vaccines effectiveness lasts.
While EMTs and paramedics have been vaccinated along with other health care workers, board member Tom Haugh, who has a son working as a sheriff's deputy, asked about law enforcement vaccines. Vins said he expects police and firefighters may be included in an upcoming group, but not at this time. He believes there are about 25,000 people eligible in the current groups, about one-fourth of the county's population.