Lake County General Health District, Lake Health, and Lake County Emergency Management Agency Report Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution for Phase 1B Populations in Lake County
Lake County continues to provide vaccines to the 1B group, which numbers more than 60,000 individuals, and is asking for patience from the general public as supplies continue to be limited.
The Lake County General Health District, Lake Health, Lake County EMA and local fire departments have partnered together to administer 1B vaccination. Due to the receipt of limited amounts of Phase 1B vaccine by both LCGHD and Lake Health, the two organizations decided to combine their allotments to better serve the community. To date, 100% of 1B COVID-19 vaccine received by both LCGHD and Lake Health have been administered or scheduled for administration.
“The partnership has been critical to our ability to ensure fast and efficient delivery of vaccine to the public. Together, we have been able to quickly vaccinate those residents most at risk for developing serious complications from COVID-19, in order to reduce the potential for extended hospital stays and/or death,” stated Ron Graham, LCGHD Health Commissioner.
He further stated, “Significant collaboration with fire departments and the Lake County Fire Chiefs’ Association, along with support from the political subdivisions, has resulted in a scalable and adaptable ability to ensure the efficient administration of both larger and smaller-size volumes of vaccinations as shipments arrive from state and federal partners.”
The volume of vaccine allocated to Lake County remains low, with many vaccine providers receiving only 100 – 200 doses each week. For these reasons, it will take many weeks to reach everyone in Phase 1B who are eligible and seeking vaccination. Beginning the week of February 1, the COVID-19 vaccine is available to residents 70 years of age and over, as well as individuals who have a severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset medical disorder, as outlined in the guidance provided by the Ohio Department of Health. According to the United States Census Bureau, the approximate number of individuals 65 years of age and over in Lake County is 47,472. While Lake County has been assured by state and federal partners that it will eventually receive enough vaccine to vaccinate all eligible individuals who desire a COVID-19 vaccine, the current supply of vaccine being allocated weekly to Lake County is not enough to meet the demand. Lake County General Health District, Lake Health, and Lake County Emergency Management Agency appreciate the patience of eligible individuals that are awaiting their vaccination.
Anyone 65 years of age or older, and those with severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset disorders are encouraged to visit https://www.lcghd.org/2019-novel-coronavirus-ncov/covid-19-vaccination/, or call (440) 350-2188 to be placed on a list to to be contacted for scheduling when vaccine becomes available. The link to sign up is red and is located under the Phase 1B heading. Eligible individuals will then be notified through the Lake County Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS) via telephone and email with instructions on how to schedule an appointment. Clinic times and locations will also be provided at that time. It may take several weeks to be notified by the WENS system. Individuals who do not respond to the telephone and email message are assured that they will remain on file, do not need to reregister, and will again be notified when vaccine becomes available.
The WENS system is also being used to update residents about important changes to the LCGHD’s COVID-19 Vaccine website. Residents are invited to text the keyword LAKEOHVAX to 69310 to sign-up to receive messages from the WENS system. This is an optional service, and residents do not need to sign up for this service to be receive notifications when vaccine is available.
A statewide vaccine provider search is also available at coronavirus.ohio.gov/vaccine. This search feature identifies vaccine providers in each Ohio county. Residents are encouraged to check both websites frequently as information continues to develop.