We recently took our mother to get her second COVID-19 vaccine dose at University Hospitals in Cleveland. The process was smooth, and mom is doing great. After discussing this experience with friends, we discovered that many people do not know where to get the vaccine and how the process works. To help you and others, we decided to write this blog post about getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio.
1. You do not have to pay to get vaccinated. The government is providing the vaccine for free. However, if you have insurance, you will need to show your insurance card to the vaccine provider so that they can be reimbursed an administration fee.
2. The Covid-19 vaccine is being given in phases. There is a limited quantity of the vaccine, so every state is providing it in stages based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Currently, Ohio is vaccinating people in Phase 1B, which includes people over 65 years old or with specific health conditions. For a more detailed description of Phase 1B, please go to the Ohio Department of Health website at https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination-program
3. You have to schedule an appointment to get a Covid-19 vaccination in Ohio. All of the providers giving the vaccine require that you schedule an appointment in advance. At this point, you cannot walk into a location and get vaccinated. To get a list of Ohio Covid-19 vaccine providers in your zip code, please visit the Ohio Department of Health website at https://vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov/
4. There are currently two different Covid-19 vaccines. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines. If you would like more information about these vaccines, you can get details about them (and other vaccines under development) at the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html
5. Both of the currently approved vaccines require that you get two shots. When you receive the first shot, you will be scheduled to get your second dose three to four weeks later. The CDC recommends that people who get the Pfizer vaccine get their second shot in three weeks, and those receiving the Moderna vaccine get their second shot four weeks later. Two shots are necessary because vaccine testing showed that two doses were more effective than one.
We hope that your experience with getting the COVID-19 vaccine will be as good for you and your loved one as it was for us with our mom.
Special thanks to Therese Shuffer for her work preparing this blog post.