The Wayne County Health Department has created a registration process for facilities or groups in the department’s health jurisdiction who wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Those facilities or groups named in Phase 1A by the Ohio Department of Health (below), are asked to follow the process explained in this release. The Wayne County Health Department will contact the facility or group to schedule the appointment times for their staff, patients, residents etc. when the time comes. “We are receiving many calls from individuals and facilities requesting the Covid-19 vaccine,” said Susan Varnes RN, Director of Patient Care Services at the Wayne County Health Department.

The Wayne County Health Department is advising those groups named in Phase 1A to visit wayne-health.org to download a spreadsheet to enter information on those that want to be vaccinated. The finished spreadsheet should then be emailed to the department at covidvaccine@wayne-health.org. This will help the Nursing Services Department keep record of those needing the vaccine. There is no guarantee at this time when every group listed in Phase 1A of the Ohio Vaccination Program will be able to receive the vaccine from the Wayne County Health Department. “When the time comes, we are hoping to vaccinate everyone in Wayne county who wants the vaccine. A limited supply of vaccine is available as production continues. We are dedicated to distributing the vaccine equitably and safely as the supply increases” said Varnes. 

Those in Phase 1A of the Ohio Vaccination Program are as follows:

People to be vaccinated in congregate care facilities during Phase 1A include:

  • Residents and staff of nursing homes and assisted living facilities not enrolled in the federal pharmacy program.
  • People with developmental disabilities and those with mental health disorders including substance use disorders who live in group homes, residential facilities, or centers and staff at those locations not enrolled in the federal pharmacy program.

Healthcare providers prioritized for vaccination in Phase 1A should be those with the greatest occupational risk for exposure to and/or transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Examples of prioritized high-risk healthcare workers include (in no specific priority order):

  • Home health/hospice workers not vaccinated by hospitals or healthcare systems.
  • Emergency Medical Services responders.
  • Primary care practitioners, including family medicine and general medicine providers.
  • Freestanding EDs, urgent care, pharmacies, and dialysis centers not vaccinated by hospitals or healthcare systems.
  • OB-GYN practitioners not vaccinated by hospitals or healthcare systems.
  • Federally Qualified Health Center providers.
  • Dental providers.