First community COVID-19 vaccine clinics held
The next phase of distributing the COVID – 19 vaccine began Jan. 19and Jan. 21 at 637 Chestnut Street (the former Hopewell Industries location). This is phase 1b of the vaccination plan and is for people aged 80 and older.According to Rob McMasters, director of the Coshocton County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, all of the doses for both days were filled. “The call center was overwhelmed with calls from citizens wanting to schedule their appointment. Scheduling for the next age group will begin once additional doses are received.”
McMasters said there are forms that need to be filled out and brought to the appointment with you. These forms can be found at www.coshoctoncounty.net/covid. He also advises that proper clothing should be worn, as the vaccine is administered by a shot in the arm. “Short sleeve shirts are recommended. After receiving your shot, you must stay for observation for any potential reactions for 15 minutes. There is a waiting area at the clinic with seats spaced appropriately six feet apart.” He also said that the main side effect he has heard of is a sore arm at the injection site. “Some have said they felt a little fatigued. I only had soreness at the injection site for about 24 hours.”
Lauren Unger received the first dose of the vaccine as an employee of Echoing Hills. When asked if she was nervous about getting the vaccine, she replied, “Sure, but it’s been important to me since the onset of COVID to try and do my part to make others safe. Some of my family and friends had it and my mom is still suffering from complications from having it in September. I lost a few friends to it as well.”
Unger said she took time to research the vaccine and decided the benefits outweighed the risk of side effects. “Obviously, taking the vaccine is a personal choice and side effects could be a real concern for some people, but for me, it just seemed like the right choice.”
Tory Sines also received the first dose of the vaccine through her job. She had COVID and lost both of her parents in late November from complications of COVID. “I wanted to get the vaccine because I want to take every precaution I can to keep from getting it again or possibly give it to someone else.”
Because she had had COVID, she was told she may experience more side effects after receiving the vaccine. “I did have a fever, extreme headache, fatigue and nausea. The symptoms were gone in about 48 hours, not as severe as actual COVID.”
McMasters said his stepfather passed away on Jan. 11. “As someone who has seen the effects that COVID – 19 has on a person, I highly encourage everyone to get the vaccine. To get back to normal, we must put a stop to this very dangerous illness.”
Muskingum Valley Health Center also was selected as a distribution partner for the COVID vaccine. MVHC will distribute the vaccine in partnership with the local health departments in Muskingum, Guernsey, Morgan and Coshocton counties.
MVHC will observe the distribution plan constructed by the Ohio Department of Health. Designated MVHC sites in each county will be utilized for vaccinating patients. Patients can call MVHC at 1-888-454-5157 to schedule an appointment for the vaccine. All patients scheduled to receive the vaccine will receive updates including reminders for when the second dose needs to be administered.
MVHC is committed to being transparent to the public throughout this process to ensure the public is vaccinated efficiently. For the week of Jan. 18, the Ohio Department of Health allocated approximately 700 does to MVHC for the four-county region. MVHC was committed to vaccinating patients within 24 hours of receipt of the vaccine and having all the vaccine administered within seven days or less. Each week MVHC will communicate to the public the number of vaccines it will receive by county.
COVID-19 vaccines allocated to MVHC are for any community member of the county in which the vaccine is shipped to by the Ohio Department of Health.
The MVHC COVID vaccine website is www.mvhccares.org.
Category: People & Places
