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Since it began in December, the process of vaccinating Ohioans against the coronavirus has produced much relief and excitement, but nearly as much confusion, anxiety and misinformation.
With the help of its partners throughout the USA TODAY Ohio Network, The Dispatch is providing the facts you need to know to navigate the process and make an informed decision about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Fact check: What’s true and what’s false about the COVID-19 vaccine
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This story will be updated as the vaccination rollout progresses. Find all of our coverage of the pandemic and the vaccine at dispatch.com/news/coronavirus.
Phases of eligibility
Ohio is currently on Phase 1B of the rollout, which is meant to include:
- Ohioans 65 and older
- Ohioans with severe congenital, development and inherited conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 complications
- Teachers and other adult employees of school districts intending to return to in-person classes by March 1.
Future phases are still being finalized by the state. Phase 1A, which included health care workers, nursing home residents and employees, and others, was declared over on Tuesday, Jan. 18 by the state. Those in that group who haven’t gotten vaccinated yet can still schedule an appointment.
First week of public rollout: COVID vaccine rolled out to Ohioans age 80 and older
Where we are now
We are currently in the first part of Phase 1B, the first public distribution of the vaccine. Some 420,000 Ohioans ages 80 and older are now eligible to get the vaccine. But because the state is currently getting only 100,000 doses a week to be divided among Ohio’s 88 counties, it will take at least four weeks to give one injection to the people in this group.
The schedule may be delayed, Gov. Mike DeWine has said, because of the limited supply of vaccines.
Ohio has given 535,086 first shots of the two-shot vaccine, which represents 4.5% of the state’s population. That number does not include vaccines given on military installations or through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Live tracker: Vaccine distribution and administration by county
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30,910 Ohioans have received a second vaccine dose.
Problems with follow-up: Ohio ranks last for administering second doses of COVID-19 vaccines
Supply troubles: Lack of COVID-19 vaccine reserve ‘disappointing’ but it won’t delay Ohio’s rollout
Infectious disease doctor gives COVID-19 vaccine to his own parents
On the first day of the public rollout, OhioHealth Dr. Joseph Gastaldo gives the vaccine to his parents, Roberta and Gus Gastaldo of Gahanna.
Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch
Who’s next
The rest of Phase 1B will follow in the coming weeks:
- Jan. 25: Eligibility expands to Ohioans 75 and older and those with severe congenital or developmental disorders.
- Feb. 1: Eligibility expands to Ohioans 70 age and older and employees of K-12 schools that wish to remain or return to in-person or hybrid models.
- Feb. 8: Ohioans 65 and older will be eligible. Residents in this age group make up 17.5% of the state’s population or 2.05 million people.
While health officials and providers are taking reservations for people in each age group to get shots, the applications will be randomized to decide the order of vaccination. Appointments are not first-come, first-served, and no walk-ups will be taken now.
Drive-up vaccinations backfire: Hundreds turned away at Madison County COVID-19 vaccine site
How to sign up to receive a vaccine
In most areas of the state, you can sign up with your county for one of their clinics, or with other providers. Those include retailers like Kroger and Giant Eagle.
Franklin County Public Health and Columbus Public Health are each planning for people to be able to make appointments online or by phone to get their COVID-19 vaccines.
Columbus Public Health’s COVID-19 hotline is 614-645-1519. You can make appointments with Franklin County Public Health by calling 614-525-5225 from noon to 4 p.m. or online at covid-19.myfcph.org.
Other central Ohio counties have similar sign-up processes.
You can contact Kroger for an appointment via kroger.com/ohiocovidvaccine or by calling 866-211-5320. Giant Eagle sign-ups are available at gianteagle.com/covidvaccine.
More: Columbus COVID-19 vaccine provider mishandles, spoils 890 doses. Pharmacy board investigating.
Find more sites for getting the vaccine
The state has provided a database of providers and locations where the vaccine is available. Find it at vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov, or use the map below.
Ask us more questions about the vaccine and distribution plan
What else do you want to know about the vaccine? Are there things you’ve heard that you’re not sure are accurate? Let us know, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.
Fill out the form below, go to bit.ly/dispatchcovidqs below, or email Audience Editor Chandler Boese at [email protected].
Questions and answers about vaccine safety
Public health officials, physicians and some unions who represent front-line workers are trying to educate people about COVID-19 vaccines and to knock down myths and conspiracy theories.
More: Rural hospitals worry about access, misinformation as COVID-19 vaccines arrive
Here are some common questions, and the answers to them:
How does the vaccine work?
Vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA, a single-strand of genetic code that triggers and teaches your body to make antibodies.
Was the COVID-19 vaccine rushed or developed too quickly to be safe?
No. Research that made the COVID-19 vaccine possible began in 2003 during the SARS virus and has continued in the years since. There have been no shortcuts in the vaccine development process. The process was quicker because of strategic efforts to run concurrent trials and streamline paperwork, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) said.
Can I get infected with COVID-19 from the vaccination?
No. None of the COVID-19 vaccines used now contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. The mRNA vaccines instead use genetic code to teach your immune system how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19.
Should pregnant or breastfeeding women get vaccinated?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may choose to get vaccinated. There is no safety data, however, on how the vaccine may impact them because pregnant women were not part of the initial vaccine trials. The COVID-19 vaccines are not thought to be a risk to breastfeeding infants.
More: For pregnant and nursing women, risks of COVID-19 probably outweigh risk of vaccine, experts say
Do I need two vaccinations?
Yes. The vaccines being used in Ohio require two doses taken weeks apart. Note that there is a chance that after your first vaccination that you can contract and become ill with COVID-19. The same is true even in the days after your second vaccination because it takes the vaccines several weeks to build your immunity, ODH said.
Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause medical problems?
No. The vaccines being used in Ohio have been tested on more than 73,000 people and no serious safety concerns were observed. The most common side effects were fatigue, headache, soreness or redness at the injection site and muscle or joint pain. These side effects are a sign the vaccine is working and that your body is creating immunity from the virus, the ODH said.
Is the vaccine tied to 5G or tracking microchips?
No. Vaccine injections do not contain microchips, nanochips, RFID trackers or devices that would track or control your body in any way, the ODH said.
Do vaccines cause autism?
No. Studies conducted around the world continue to show there is no connection between autism and vaccines, the ODH said.
Can I stop wearing a mask after I get a vaccine?
No. While the vaccine will protect you from getting ill from COVID-19, it is not yet clear about whether vaccinated people can still carry and spread the virus to others, the ODH said. So even after you’re vaccinated, you should continue wearing a mask and practice social distancing to protect others.
Can the vaccine impact female fertility?
No. Experts say there has been a false claim that vaccines contained ingredients capable of “training the female body to attack” a protein that plays a crucial role in the development of the placenta, syncytial-1. But Stephanie Langel, an immunologist and expert in maternal and neonatal immunity at Duke University, told The New York Times that the coronavirus spike and the placental protein in question have almost nothing in common.
Could mRNA vaccine change my DNA (or genetic makeup)?
No. mRNA — messenger ribonucleic acid — cannot alter your DNA. The mRNA from the vaccine never enters the nucleus of your body’s cells, which is where DNA is kept, ODH says.
Will the vaccine be mandatory in Ohio?
It depends. Gov. Mike DeWine has repeatedly said the state will not force Ohioans to be vaccinated. Employers may, however, require workers to be vaccinated as a condition of their employment as long as it is job-related or protects the workplace.
More: Companies can force workers to get COVID-19 vaccines but few are expected to
I already had COVID-19. Should I get the vaccine?
People who have had COVID-19 “may be advised” to get the vaccine, “due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible,” according to the CDC.
This story includes reporting from Eric Lagatta, Max Filby and Megan Henry of The Dispatch; Amanda Garrett of the Akron Beacon Journal; and Anne Saker, Terry DeMio and Ellen Hine of the Cincinnati Enquirer, all a part of the USA TODAY Ohio Network.
