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Harrison residents 65 and up to receive vaccine

CADIZ — The Harrison County Health Department plans to begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine to residents in the 65-69 age group during a clinic set for Friday.

Garen Rhome, administrator of the county health department, said staff will administer between 50 and 100 first doses of the vaccine to residents aged 70 and older, as well as to some individuals in the 65-69 age group during Friday’s clinic. Rhome said the majority of the first doses will be administered to residents age 70 and older, a large age group in the county. However, the department will begin inviting some residents in the 65-69 age group as well.

Additionally, around 200 second doses will be administered to residents age 70 and older who received their first dose Feb. 5.

“This Friday we’ll be rolling out Pfizer second doses for folks that received their first dose Feb. 5. That will be the bulk of Friday’s doses,” he said.

The health department is continuing to contact residents who have registered through the department’s online survey for pre-screening and scheduling for the clinic.

Rhome said the county has fully vaccinated nearly 850 residents and given first doses to around 1,800 more.

“That’s how many doses have been given to residents between us (the health department) and the (Harrison Community) hospital,” he said.

The county has had a significant decrease in its active caseload after a large number of individuals were classified as “presumed recovered” Wednesday afternoon. As of Wednesday, there are 12 active cases in the county. There have been a total of 1,010 confirmed cases, 979 recoveries and 19 coronavirus-related deaths.

Rhome said the county’s occurence rate also continues to decline. The county now has an occurrence rate of 152 cases per 100,000 population, he said.

The department urges residents to not let up on the mitigation efforts of donning a facial covering in public, social distancing, hand washing, and limiting gatherings to small groups or immediate family.

“We want to continue to encourage people to practice those mitigation efforts and not let up,” Rhome said.

Meanwhile in Belmont County, Deputy Health Commissioner Robert Sproul said 250 seniors ages 65 and older were vaccinated at an indoor clinic at the Ohio Valley Mall on Wednesday. There were 300 vaccine doses available.

“We were short a couple of nurses on Wednesday. We will have those extra nurses on (today), so we will be able to do more then,” he said in a text message.

About 350 doses remain to be administered this week, in addition to the 1,170 school staff members who are getting their first dose.

Sproul added that 5,255 cases of COVID-19 have been identified among residents since the pandemic arrived in the area last year. As of Wednesday, the county had 208 residents isolated at home with active cases and 60 hospitalized with the virus. A total of 4,890 recoveries have been reported in the county, along with 97 deaths.

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