The Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health recognizes both the serious toll that COVID-19 has taken on our community as well as the extraordinary benefit and safety of the COVID-19 vaccination. Severe adverse outcomes and death due to this virus and the responsibility for spreading it occurs predominantly in those who are not vaccinated. The threat of spreading this virus by the unvaccinated is especially significant in the workplace where individuals may be working in close quarters with others.
Ensuring workplace safety is an important goal of public health. The workplace should not be a place where individuals can be exposed to a virus that causes severe illness or death. Just as workplaces are smoke-free, workplaces should be virus free.
Therefore, the Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health recommends that all employers and government organizations require their eligible employees receive full vaccination for COVID-19 prevention.
WOCHD COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics (subject to change due to supply and demand). Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines are available at all locations. 1st, 2nd, Booster and 5-11yr old vaccinations are available. Walk-ins welcomed at all locations.
Daily Health Department Clinics
12/02/21 – Walk-in Clinic at Community Clinic – Highlands 9am-4pm
12/03/21 – Walk-in Clinic at Community Clinic – Highlands 9am-4pm
12/06/21 – Walk-in Clinic at Community Clinic – Highlands 9am-4pm
· School Vaccination Clinic at Madison Elementary School – 4-6pm
12/07/21 – Walk-in Clinic at Community Clinic – Highlands 9am-4pm
· School Vaccination Clinic at Warwood Elementary School – 4-6pm
12/08/21 – Walk-in Clinic at Community Clinic – Highlands 9am-4pm
12/09/21 – Walk-in Clinic at Community Clinic – Highlands 9am-4pm
12/10/21 – Walk-in Clinic at Community Clinic – Highlands 9am-4pm
(Effective 9/27/21 COVID-19 vaccinations will be given at the Community Vaccination Center at the Highlands – old Michaels Craft Store, 550 Cabela Drive, Triadelphia, WV.)
Homebound COVID-19 Vaccination Program
Individuals who are homebound can call the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department to schedule a home COVID-19 vaccination visit. Ohio County residents can call (304) 234-3682 to set up an appointment and vaccination type.
Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccinations for 5-11yrs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is administered intramuscularly as a primary series of 2 doses (0.2 mL each) 3 weeks apart to individuals 5 through 11 years of age.
Pfizer, Moderna and J&J/Janssen Booster Vaccination Clinic
The CDC has endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations. CDC recommends the booster dose for individuals who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in the following groups at 6 months or more after their initial series:
You should get a booster if you are:
· Ages 50 years and older
· Ages 18 years and older and live in a long-term care setting
You may get a booster if you are:
· Ages 18 years and older
For the individuals that received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, a booster dose is also recommended for those who are 18 and older who were vaccinated 2 months or more ago. It is also recognized that some people may not prefer the vaccine type they originally received and may prefer to receive a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.
All BOOSTER vaccinations will require an official COVID-19 vaccination card or VAMS Certification. Individuals who received a COVID-19 vaccination were issued a personal COVID-19 vaccination card which included vaccine details such as lot number, vaccination location, vaccination type and the number of vaccines given. Individuals who need a COVID-19 vaccine replacement card can apply for a card through the WVDHHR at https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/replacement-card.aspx . Replacement cards will not be issued at the community vaccine center or the county health department at this time.
Additional Dose of RNA COVID-19 Vaccinations
On August 13, 2021, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met and reviewed the data for use of an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised people. ACIP made an interim recommendation for use of an additional dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (for persons aged ≥12 years) or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (for persons aged ≥18 years) after an initial 2-dose primary mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series for moderately to severely immunocompromised people and does not apply to people who received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the additional dose of an mRNA COVID19 vaccine be administered at the earliest four weeks at least 28 days after a second dose and a person should not receive more than three mRNA vaccine doses total. The additional mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose should be the same vaccine product as the initial 2-dose mRNA COVID-19 primary vaccine series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). If the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine product given for the first two doses is not available, the other mRNA COVID-19 vaccine product may be administered.
The specific list of eligible people includes:
- Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
- Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
- Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., ≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory
While immunocompromised individuals do not need a prescription, or proof of their condition to get a third dose, individuals are encouraged to talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them. West Virginians who are immunocompromised and meet CDC eligibility recommendations are strongly encouraged to choose COVID-19 vaccination, which now includes a third dose for mRNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna).
