Health department details COVID-19 vaccine booster availability

MEDINA — With boosters authorized for all three COVID-19 vaccine brands, the Medina County Health Department is offering updated advice for residents seeking their next dose. Booster doses are available through the health department and all affiliated public clinics. Residents can make an appointment through the ArmorVax app or by calling (330) 723-9688 and selecting option two. A list of upcoming clinics can be found at https://medinahealth.org/events. That includes offerings from 1-5 p.m. this coming Wednesday at Wadsworth Summa Health Founders Hall, 195 Wadsworth Road, Suite 305; 2-5 p.m. Thursday at Chippewa Lake Town Hall, 24 Circle Crest Drive; and 2-5 p.m. Friday at Highland Library, 4160 Ridge Road, Medina. Federal recommendations allow for mix and match dosing, meaning your booster dose can be any of the three brands regardless of what you received in your primary series, whether that was two Pfizer or Moderna doses or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson jab. If you received Pfizer or Moderna in your primary series, eligibility starts six months after your second dose. With Johnson & Johnson, eligibility begins after two months, local officials said. Anyone 18 and older who had a Johnson & Johnson shot can get their booster but certain limitations remain for those who've had Pfizer or Moderna doses. Detailed criteria can be found at https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/vaccine/booster-chart-2021.pdf. Medina County Health Commissioner Krista Wasowski also touched on imminent COVID-19 vaccine availability for children. "COVID-19 vaccines for children will also be available soon," she said. "There is not a date for this to begin yet but the health department will have these available when they are approved. Children's hospitals, pediatricians, and pharmacies will also have vaccine. The dosage will be different and the brand will only be Pfizer at this time. If you see a public health nurse, give her an extra smile. These days are getting more and more complex." COVID-19 infection has led to 317 Medina County deaths with the latest occurring on Oct. 16, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Those fatalities have been recorded among a caseload of 22,406 that's also resulted in 953 hospitalizations. State data shows Medina County's daily recorded cases hovering between 40 and 60 across recent weeks. That's down from a recent daily case peak of 163 on Sept. 7 but still significantly higher than what was seen in the late-spring, summer, and early-fall. Numbers updated Friday by the Medina County Health Department show 680 cases in active isolation with a seven-day case incidence rate of 220.9 per 100,000 residents. In addition to testing conducted at the health department, drive-through sites will be open next week at the following times and locations: 9-11 a.m. Tuesday at Wadsworth Fire Station No. 2, 338 Weatherstone Drive 12-2 p.m. Wednesday at Brunswick Fire Department, 4875 Grafton Road 1-3 p.m. Thursday at Lafayette Safety Services Building, 6367 Technology Lane, Medina To secure an appointment, call (330) 723-9688 and select option one. "With shorter days and colder weather ahead, this time of year can be tougher on some than others," said Wasowski. "Keep checking in with your loved ones and lend a helping hand where needed. I continue to ask everyone to recognize that there are different levels of comfort with joining gatherings and wearing a mask or not. Kindness will get us through and the end to this is in sight." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.