BATAVIA, OH – Clermont County Public Health and the University of Cincinnati Clermont College are partnering to open a new COVID-19 vaccination site at the Student Activities Center on the college’s Batavia campus. The vaccination site will open on Saturday, March 13. Appointments must be scheduled. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
The new site will more than double the number of people who can be vaccinated in one day by the health department. Public Health has been vaccinating up to 300 people per day to date; the new site will accommodate 600 or more people per day.
The quantity of the vaccine that Public Health receives weekly has increased from about 200 doses during the first week of February to more than 1,200 doses during the first week of March.
“We’re looking forward to working with UC Clermont to get more of our residents vaccinated,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “Throughout this pandemic, we have relied on many of our community partners along the way, and this latest partnership will benefit the entire county. We’re grateful that UC has stepped up to provide the much-needed space.”
“We are excited to partner with Clermont County Public Health to provide the space for this critical service to the community,” said UC Clermont Dean Jeff Bauer. “The vaccination effort is crucial to guiding us out of the pandemic, and we are proud to be able to help.”
How to register
To register for an appointment, residents can use the new online scheduling site, which can be found at https://ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/. Anyone without internet access can call 513-735-8500 for assistance with scheduling an appointment.
Currently, any Ohio resident aged 50 or older is eligible to be vaccinated. Other groups that are eligible include people with certain congenital medical conditions, law enforcement officers, childcare workers and funeral services employees. The full list of eligible people can be found online at www.coronavirus.ohio.gov/vaccine.
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UC Clermont College is located in the center of Clermont County on 91 beautiful wooded acres in Batavia Township. The college is an accredited, open-access institution offering more than 50 programs and degrees. UC Clermont is part of the nationally recognized University of Cincinnati. For more information, call 513-732-5200 or visit www.ucclermont.edu.
Clermont County Public Health is dedicated to the mission of striving to improve Clermont County by preventing disease, promoting health, and protecting the environment. For more information, visit www.ccphohio.org.
Clermont County Public Health and local partners are seeking input from the community to help guide the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).
The CHIP is a long-term plan used to address public health concerns in a community. The plans are based on the assessment of the needs of a community and feedback from the citizens in that community. Clermont County’s Community Health Assessment can be found here. A summary of the assessment can be found here.
Public Health is asking community members and residents of Clermont County to take a survey and identify 3-4 priority health issues affecting the community. The survey can be found at http://bit.ly/CHIP21. Responses are due by Feb. 25.
“Community Health Improvement Plans are a vital part of public health,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “This plan will help us identify the issues affecting our community and allow us to focus our efforts to help resolve those issues over the next few years.”
Once complete, the CHIP will set specific goals, strategies and activities to improve the priority health issues chosen.
The goal of the improvement plan is to increase awareness of health issues impacting the community and provide education and opportunities to the public to improve their health.
The last improvement plan identified obesity, drug addiction, tobacco use and mental health as the biggest health issues in Clermont County.
Clermont County Public Health hosts vaccine clinic for residents 80 and older
BATAVIA, OH – Clermont County Public Health held a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Thursday, Jan. 21 for residents aged 80 and over. Under Ohio’s vaccination plan, residents aged 80 and older were eligible to be vaccinated beginning Jan. 18.
Jerry Brothers, of Williamsburg, was one of the people vaccinated on Thursday. “I am glad to see the vaccinations are finally happening,” said Brothers. “We have been waiting a long time,” he added. Brothers said his daughter put his name on the waiting list on the Public Health website.
Clermont County residents who fall into phase 1B for vaccinations (65 and older) can be added to the waiting list by visiting Clermont County Public Health’s website at https://ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/. CCPH is using that waiting list to schedule appointments in their clinic. The waiting list is also used to provide future communications about registering online for the vaccine.
Jerry’s wife Carol answered the call from Clermont County Public Health (CCPH) to schedule his vaccination appointment. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I was so happy and excited for him, I was in tears,” she added.
Adding your name to the waiting list on CCPH’s website doesn’t guarantee an appointment, but it is a way for CCPH to collect information and contact you when your turn comes up. Anyone without access to the internet can call The Clermont County Emergency Management Agency’s COVID-19 hotline at 513-735-8500 to add their name to the waiting list. The hotline is open from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.
“We wish we could vaccinate all of our residents, but until the supply of vaccine increases, we encourage everyone to be patient while we focus on our most vulnerable residents,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit.
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, including other locations where you can get vaccinated, visit https://ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/.
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Photo: Jerry Brothers of Williamsburg receives his COVID-19 vaccine from Mary Sacco, RN
Jan. 14, 2021 (BATAVIA, OH) – Ohio residents who are 80 years of age and older can get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Jan. 18 under the next phase of Ohio’s vaccine distribution plan.
Ohio will be distributing 100,000 doses of vaccine statewide beginning Jan. 18. Clermont County vaccine providers will receive 1,900 of those doses. Clermont County Public Health will get 100 doses. The remaining 1800 doses will go to:
“We are encouraged to begin protecting our most vulnerable population,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “But, we are urging everyone to show patience as the supply is limited. With only 1900 doses designated for our county next week, we know it will take time until everyone that wants the vaccine can get it.”
How do you get vaccinated if you’re eligible?
Due to the high demand and limited supply of the vaccine and COVID-19 safety protocols, appointments will be required at each location.
Clermont County Public Health has information including a waiting list survey available on its website at http://bit.ly/CVD19Vax. If you or a loved one qualifies, you can fill out the survey, and Public Health will send you more information on how or where to go to get vaccinated. Since Jan. 11, more than 6,000 people have filled out the survey to be added to the waiting list.
“We’re here to support our public health partners however we can,” said Clermont County Emergency Management Agency Director Pam Haverkos. “We are launching a COVID-19 vaccine hotline to assist residents and caregivers who may have limited access to web-based resources. We want to ensure all residents have information on how and where to get registered for the vaccine.”
The COVID-19 vaccine hotline can be reached at 513-735-8500 and is available from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. The hotline will not be operational on Monday, Jan. 18 due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
For more information on how to get vaccinated visit www.ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/
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With a COVID-19 vaccine here, many people want to know when they can get vaccinated. There are still some questions to be answered, but here’s what we know.
Ohio received its first shipment of about 98,000 doses on December 15. Of those doses, about 10,000 went to ten different hospitals statewide for healthcare workers who treat COVID-19 patients. The remaining doses will be used for congregate living facilities (long-term care, nursing homes and assisted living facilities).
On December 22, Ohio will receive a total of about 324,000 doses. Those will be distributed to 98 hospitals, 108 local health departments (including Clermont County Public Health) and major retail pharmacies. The pharmacies will vaccinate staff and residents of congregate care facilities. Hospitals will vaccinate their workers who are exposed to COVID patients. The 108 local health departments will distribute their portion of the vaccine to local front-line health care workers and fire/EMS personnel.
An additional 237,000 doses are expected to arrive in Ohio during the final week of December.
Who gets the top priority?
During the initial phase the vaccine supply will be very limited. The top priority will go to those people that fall under one of these categories:
Who determines the priority groups for receiving a vaccine?
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) makes recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control on which population group should receive the vaccine. The ACIP will determine which population group will be the next priority after everyone in the priority 1A group receives the vaccine.
When can I get the vaccine?
As more vaccine is produced more groups of people will be prioritized. However, it may be the middle of 2021 before the vaccine will be widely available to the community.
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine and a list of frequently asked questions, visit the Ohio Department of Health’s coronavirus website.
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BATAVIA – The number of new cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and Clermont County is increasing at an alarming rate. The state of Ohio reported an all-time high of 8,071 new cases on Friday, November 13. A high of 186 new cases was reported in Clermont County on November 13.
As of November 12, when the latest public health advisory system numbers were released, Clermont County had a rate of 410 new cases per 100,000 residents. For comparison, on October 1, the county’s rate was only 62 new cases per 100,000 residents. During the week of November 8-14, there was a 140 percent increase in the number of daily cases in Clermont County.
The exponential growth in the number of new cases in Clermont County has made it nearly impossible to keep up with disease investigation and contact tracing. “Up until this point, our goal has been to begin disease investigations within 24 hours of each new case being reported to us,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit.
Disease investigations take time and involve a public health staff member calling each individual who has tested positive and get details like where they may have been exposed, every location they have been in the previous few days, and every person they may have been in contact with.
After public health does their initial investigation, then they begin the process of contact tracing. That usually involves calling each person who was considered a close contact with the infected person and advising them to quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure.
“We have hired additional contact tracers, but it’s still not enough to keep up with the demand,” said Nesbit. “Our staff is doing everything we possibly can to keep up with the new cases, we are physically and emotionally exhausted, but we are continuing to do this important work to the best of our ability to protect our community.”
In addition to hiring additional contact tracers, Clermont County Public Health (CCPH) has been using staff members from every other department to fill in the gaps and assist with contact tracing. CCPH also has a contract with the Ohio Department of Health for additional contact tracers that are being cross-trained to assist with disease investigations.
Public Health has switched from making phone calls in some situations to sending emails to
provide information on quarantine to save time. Now, with this many new cases, they have also begun mailing letters to each person that tests positive to save time. Phone calls are still being made when CCPH is aware of situations where there are a large number of contacts and the potential for further spread of the disease.
The letters notify each person that tests positive what to do while they are in isolation and asks them to identify their contacts, who are advised to quarantine. “We are seeing so many new cases, we just cannot possibly keep up at this rate,” said Nesbit.
“Local hospitals are already being stressed,” said Nesbit. “While all hospitals have surge plans in place where they can add more beds and take in more patients, they are going to run out of healthy, experienced workers to care for the sick patients, if this trend continues.”
A summary of local hospital data can be found at https://www.cctst.org/covid19
“We saw in the spring that we can flatten the curve, but we must be extra vigilant now, especially with the holidays coming up,” urged Nesbit.
What can you do to help?
If you are tested and receive a positive test result, you should:
For more information or resources, visit the Ohio Department of Health’s coronavirus website at www.coronavirus.ohio.gov or Clermont County Public Health’s website at www.ccphohio.org.
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BATAVIA, OH – For the sixth year in a row, Clermont County Public Health (CCPH)
has earned the Auditor of State Award. The award is given annually to local governments and school districts after completing a financial audit. To receive the award, agencies must have a clean audit report.
Some of the criteria to meet a clean audit report include:
• Filing financial reports on time
• The audit does not contain any findings of wrongdoing or questioned costs
• The independent audit contains no comments related to ethics referrals
• No public meetings or public records issues
“Our Fiscal Officer, Katrina Stapleton, is a one-person finance department,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “But, we could not do it without the tremendous help we receive from the Clermont County Auditor’s Office.”
Ms. Stapleton has received this honor every year since she’s been the fiscal officer for CCPH. “To earn the award this year, with the extra workload during the COVID pandemic, shows her incredible attention to detail and meticulous record-keeping abilities,” said Nesbit.
Normally, Clermont County Public Health has a staff of about 50 employees with an annual operating budget of about $4 million. In 2019 approximately 40 percent of their revenue came from local licenses and fees and about 30 percent came from state and federal grants.
The COVID response has surged 2020 staffing levels to 86 employees and the budget has increased to nearly $5.9 million. The full audit report can be viewed online at www.ohioauditor.gov.
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Photo: Clermont County Public Health Fiscal Officer Katrina Stapleton holding the Auditor of State Award.
After three weeks at a level 2 (orange) advisory, Clermont County has been moved back to level 3 advisory under the Public Health Advisory System.
Clermont County was last under a level 3 advisory from October 1-8. That time it was mainly due to an increase in outpatient visits and visits to emergency departments due to COVID-like illness.
Clermont County currently meets four of the 7 indicators that are used to decide a county’s risk level.
The four indicators that are met are:
On October 15, Clermont County was designated as a high incidence county due to the increased spread of the virus. A county is declared high incidence when it has more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks.
For comparison, on October 1, the rate for Clermont County was 62.49 new cases per 100,000 residents. On October 29 the rate increased to 219.9 new cases per 100,000 residents.
For more information on the Public Health Advisory System, click here
For a full list of the alert indicators, click here
To see the data for Clermont County, click here
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Clermont County, along with the rest of Ohio has seen a significant increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19 over the last few weeks. Although the county remains in the “orange” under the public health advisory system as of October 22, it is now classified as a high incidence county. A high incidence county is defined by the Ohio Department of Health as a county that has had more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents within the past two weeks.
For comparison, on October 1, Clermont County had a rate of 62 new cases per 100,000 people. As of 10/22, the rate was 182 new cases per 100,000.
In addition to an increase in cases, we are also seeing a large increase in the number of close contacts for each confirmed case – or an infected person. That means people are getting together with more people than they were in the spring or early summer when the virus was spreading at a slower rate. We are also seeing fewer people wearing masks.
Without a vaccine, our best chance of slowing the spread of this virus and preventing our hospitals from being overwhelmed is to continue to practice the prevention measures that have been in place.
With the holidays just around the corner, it is important to consider our everyday interactions with other people and how many people are in our social circles, or how many people we interact with.
While your social bubble may consist only of your immediate family members and a few co-workers, you must also consider how big the bubble is of your family members. If each member of your family each has their own bubble outside of your family – school, work, sports teams, friends, etc. the potential risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 also increases.
The more interactions you have with other people, and the longer those interactions are, the higher your potential risk is of getting COVID-19.
As we head into flu season, it is more important than ever to do our best to minimize the spread of this virus. It is imperative that we all take responsibility to do our part to minimize the spread of this virus.
What can you do?
For more information on COVID-19 in Clermont County, click here.
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