COLUMBUS, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine announced this week that the state emergency in Ohio caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted today. He also released new information regarding visitation to nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Beginning today, the state regulations, which describe how visits should occur, will be removed. This will allow residents to have more than two visitors, and there is no longer a scheduling requirement.
Ohio nursing homes are expected to continue to follow federal guidance from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and both nursing homes and assisted living facilities will be expected to follow CDC guidance. A testing requirement still remains for staff members who are unvaccinated, and they will need to continue to be tested twice per week.
The Ohio Department of Aging will be hosting a series of webinars starting this morning to ensure facilities have access to all the information and resources necessary for safe and healthy operations. More information about these webinars can be found on the department’s website at aging.ohio.gov.
DeWine also urged those who have not yet received the vaccine to find a clinic near them by visiting gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov. Fayette County Public Health (FCPH) continues to provide a weekly update on local vaccination providers.
FCPH Vaccination Providers weekly update
Week of June 21: the local vaccination provider list is updated and shared weekly as a courtesy, and availability can change from day to day. Contact the provider of choice for the latest information on vaccine availability and to schedule an appointment. Providers can also be searched for by visiting gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Please note: eligible individuals can receive a vaccine from any provider of their choice. The vaccine is offered at no cost at all locations. Vaccine providers can bill a patient’s insurance for a fee to administer the vaccine but will not be able to charge the patient.
Pfizer is the only vaccine that has been authorized for 12 years and older. Parental or legal guardian permission is required for minors (12-17 years old).
Moderna and Pfizer each require two doses. Full protection is not gained until two weeks after the second dose of vaccine.
In addition to this list, private healthcare providers may be offering the vaccine. Contact a healthcare provider for details.
Fayette County Public Health (FCPH)
All FCPH clinics are by appointment only and will take place at the FCPH office, 317 S. Fayette St., Washington Court House.
—June 22, Pfizer, (12-plus years old), 1st dose 1-4 p.m.
—June 24, Moderna, (18-plus years old), 1st dose 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2nd dose as scheduled
—June 28, Johnson & Johnson (18-plus years old), 2-4 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, visit faycohd.org or call 740-335-5910 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Watch the FCPH website or the health department’s Facebook page for updates.
Other local providers
HealthSource of Ohio – Visit www.healthsourceofohio or call (740) 335-8490 to request an appointment.
Kroger – Visit kroger.com/ohiocovidvaccine or call the Kroger COVID-19 vaccine helpline at 866-211-5320.
Walgreens — Schedule through walgreens.com/schedulevaccine. The portal opens up each Saturday for Monday-Saturday appointments.
Walmart — Walmart is scheduling eligible individuals by appointment only dependent on vaccine availability. To schedule an appointment, visit walmart.com/covidvaccine.
Transportation — The Fayette County Transportation Program will transport anyone in Fayette County who needs to get their vaccine appointment, as long as they have a confirmed appointment scheduled. Anyone who needs transportation is asked to call 740-335-9628 to schedule as soon as they have an appointment time for the vaccine.
Ohio Vax-A-Million
For Wednesday’s Ohio Vax-a-Million drawing, 3,428,514 vaccinated adults entered for a chance to win $1 million and 150,187 vaccinated youth entered for a chance to win a college scholarship. This is an increase in 66,311 adult entries and 6,583 youth entries over last week.
Ohio Vax-A-Million’s newest winners joined DeWine Thursday to discuss why they chose to be vaccinated and their excitement of being selected during this week’s drawing.
Suzanne Ward from Findlay in Hancock County won this week’s $1 million prize, and Sean Horning from Cincinnati won this week’s college scholarship prize.
“I did not have any hesitation when my age group came up to get vaccinated,” said Ward. “I would encourage anybody to get vaccinated. I think it’s the smart thing to do from a health perspective.”
“I always knew it was the best for everyone,” said Lina Horning, who is Sean’s mother and experienced having COVID-19. “I encouraged my son to do it for the safety of our community and everyone.”
There is one more Ohio Vax-a-Million drawing left and Governor DeWine encouraged all eligible Ohioans to get vaccinated and enter to win. For more information and to enter, visit ohiovaxamillion.com. Ohioans 18 and older who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can enter to win a $1 million prize. Ohioans ages 12-17 who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can enter to win a four-year college scholarship to any Ohio state college or university.
Wolstein Center mass vaccination clinic wrap-up
Governor DeWine announced that the team at Ohio’s Mass Vaccination Clinic in Cleveland administered approximately 258,000 doses of vaccine during the course of the 12-week clinic at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. The FEMA-supported clinic was open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week from mid-March until its final day of operations on June 7, 2021.
Across the entirety of the clinic, nearly 50 percent of individuals vaccinated reported living in high social vulnerability zip codes. Over the final six weeks of the clinic, that percentage was 68 percent.
The clinic operated in partnership among several local, state, and federal agencies.
