COLUMBUS, Ohio (WFFT) — Ohio is preparing to distribute safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines statewide to those who choose to be vaccinated. Here's what you need to know.

As COVID-19 vaccines are granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the state will begin to strategically and thoughtfully distribute the vaccines to Ohioans at the greatest risk in conjunction with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).

Questions and Answers

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COVID-19 Vaccination: Phase 1A Distribution

Phase 1A will include those below who choose to be vaccinated:

• Healthcare workers and personnel who are routinely involved in the care of COVID-19 patients.
• Residents and staff in nursing homes.
• Residents and staff in assisted living facilities.
• Patients and staff at state psychiatric hospitals.
• People with developmental disabilities and those with mental health disorders, including substance use disorders, who live in group homes, residential facilities, or centers, and staff at those locations.
• Residents and staff at our two state-run homes for Ohio veterans.
• EMS responders.

COVID-19 Vaccination: Phase 1B Distribution

Phase 1B will specifically include those below who choose to be vaccinated:

• Ohioans, age 65 and up.
• Ohioans with severe congenital, developmental, or early onset medical disorders that make them particularly vulnerable.
  • This includes cerebral palsy; spina bifida; congenital heart disease; type 1 diabetes; inherited metabolic disorders; severe neurological disorders. including epilepsy; severe genetic disorders, including Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, and Turner syndrome; severe lung disease, including cystic fibrosis and severe asthma; sickle cell anemia; and alpha and beta thalassemia.
• Adults/employees in all schools that want to go back, or to remain, educating in person.

Phase 1B Timing

Vaccinations in Phase 1B are expected to begin the week of January 19.

Governor DeWine announced a tiered system for offering vaccinations to the estimated 2.2 million people who are eligible for the vaccine under this phase, beginning with those who are 80 or older.

When a new age group begins, vaccinations may not be complete for the previous age group.

It will take a number of weeks to distribute all of the vaccine given the limited doses available.

• The week of Jan. 19: Ohioans 80 years of age and older.
• The week of Jan. 25: Ohioans 75 years of age and older; those with severe congenital or developmental disorders.
• The week of Feb. 1: Ohioans 70 years of age and older; employees of K-12 schools that wish to remain or return to in-person or hybrid models.
• The week of Feb. 8: Ohioans 65 years of age and older.