Cuyahoga County To Vaccinate First Responders In Clinics Next Week

Cuyahoga County's medical director Dr. Heidi Gullett has been at the front of the county's COVID-19 response for months, and Wednesday, she was the first person at the health department to get the vaccine.

"This is the best day of my life," Gullett said with tears in her eyes as she sat down to get the shot. "I am so ready."

Gullett and other health board staffers received shots Wednesday, as they prepare to host vaccination clinics for first responders in Cleveland suburbs starting Monday, Dec. 28, said Health Commissioner Terry Allan.

About 1,500 people will be vaccinated by the end of next week, Allan said.

JoAnn Carrothers, a nurse at the board of health, gave Gullett her shot just after 10:30 a.m. Gullett said she felt fine during the vaccination and has not yet experienced any soreness afterward.

“Honestly, I didn’t even feel her give it. I think I was overcome by emotion,” Gullett said.

“This vaccine is hope, and it’s not a switch that just makes it all better, but what it is is a chance for us all to breathe a little easier, while still wearing masks, still distancing, still doing everything that we know works to keep everybody safe,” she said.

Gullett later vaccinated Carrothers. Romona Brazile, the co-director of prevention and wellness, also received the vaccine.

The county received 4,000 doses of the vaccine from pharmaceutical company Moderna, Health Commissioner Terry Allan said.

Sixty board of health staff members will be vaccinated in this first round, and they will go to the county's suburbs next week to begin administering shots to emergency medical services (EMS) responders, Allan said.

Three vaccination clinics for emergency responders will be held at fire departments in Shaker Heights, Independence, and Westlake.

First responders are the next group on the priority list for Ohio's Phase 1A of vaccine distribution.

“We tried to make them geographically widespread in order to reach the different EMS populations,” Allan said.

EMS workers from the 58 communities in the county’s jurisdiction can sign up for the location that is most convenient for them, Allan said. The plan is for EMS workers to drive up to the vaccination site and receive their shot outside, he said.

The Moderna vaccine is administered in two doses, and first responders who get their first shot next week will be eligible for their second dose in about 28 days, Allan said.

People receive a card after getting the shot that tells them which vaccine they got and when they are due for their next dose, Allan said. 

The board of health will collect email addresses of those who get vaccinated and will follow up with email reminders when it is time for them to get their next shot, he said.

EMS workers who do not get vaccinated in this first round of clinics can sign up for future clinics hosted by the board of health in the coming weeks.

The health board will also be in charge of vaccinating other groups in Phase 1A, including individuals living in congregate settings such as group homes.

Some front line workers who do not work in hospital settings, such as dentists, are also part of phase 1A.

The city of Cleveland is in charge of vaccinating phase 1A groups in its jurisdiction, Allan said.

City officials plan to administer shots to roughly 1,200 emergency responders across a six-day period, Cleveland’s public health director Brian Kimball said in a press conference Tuesday.