Vaccine to arrive at hospital, district in week

Health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients first in line

CELINA - The Mercer County Health District and Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater should receive their first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines in about a week.

District administrator Jason Menchhofer said the Moderna vaccine dispersement will take place pending final approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Health officials in a news release noted distribution of the first phase of the Pfizer vaccine, which gained FDA approval on Friday, began on Monday, with a shipment to 10 pre-selected hospitals across the state.

The first phase of vaccinations is being administered to health care workers and personnel who are routinely involved in the care of COVID-19 patients, residents and staff at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, patients and staff at state psychiatric hospitals, people with intellectual disabilities and those with mental illness who live in group homes or centers and staff at those locations, residents and staff at Ohio veterans' homes and emergency medical service responders.

The vaccine will be provided free of charge and will require two doses to be given at least 28 days apart, according to the release. The Ohio Department of Health reported the vaccine has been shown to prevent COVID-19 and to decrease the severity of illness in people who catch the virus.

Possible side effects include fatigue, headache, soreness or redness at the injection site and muscle or joint pain. While these side effects may be unpleasant, they are indications that the body is responding to the vaccine and creating immunity to the virus, the release stated.

Health district officials are reviewing plans and policies for vaccine distribution and hope to conduct drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinics when the vaccine becomes available to the general public.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Mercer County increased by 57 over the weekend, raising the total to 3,068, and 43 new confirmed cases raised Auglaize County's confirmed case total to 2,430.

A Mercer County Health District news release also reported 549 probable cases, 2,762 people who have recovered, 47 pending test results, 15 hospitalizations, 56 deaths and 14 probable deaths from COVID-19. Of the 3,068 confirmed cases, 236 are active.

Auglaize County health officials in a news release also reported 640 probable cases, 132 total hospitalizations, 37 deaths and 2,421 people who are presumed to be recovered.

The breakdown of total cases by community is Wapakoneta, 1,056; St. Marys, 926; Minster, 362; New Bremen, 298; Cridersville, 159; Waynesfield, 110; New Knoxville, 88; Spencerville, 20; the Lima area, 11; Uniopolis, 10; Buckland, nine; St. Johns, six; New Hampshire, five; the Botkins area, four; the Lakeview area, four; and the Mendon area, two.

As of Monday night, ODH had reported 570,602 confirmed and probable cases in the state, 32,264 hospitalizations and 7,551 confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19.

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