Vaccination Underway

Ohio saw its first vaccines this week. On Monday morning  shipments of 975 doses were delivered to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus and UC Health in Cincinnati. Several health care workers and personnel who are routinely involved with the care of COVID-19 patients immediately received vaccinations. On Tuesday, vaccine shipments were delivered to eight additional Ohio hospitals. All 10 hospitals were selected based on geography, population, and access to ultra-cold storage capacity. This morning, vaccinations began at nursing homes and state veterans homes. ODH estimates 1,764 have been vaccinated in Ohio as of yesterday.

Hospitals are receiving vaccine to inoculate their own health care providers and personnel in Phase 1A who are routinely involved with the care of COVID-19 patients. This includes eligible employed physicians and their staffs. It also may extend to non-employed physicians who practice at the hospital and admit patients there. If a hospital chooses to only vaccinate its employed physicians and their staff, physicians who are not employed by the hospital may contact their local health department to ask about coordinating vaccination for them and their eligible staff when available. At this time, there are no details about delivery and allocations beyond the pre-positioned hospital sites.

As COVID-19 vaccines continue to come to Ohio, Cardinal Health’s OptiFreight Logistics business will help provide same-day delivery services. Once the vaccine is widely available, this partnership will allow Ohio to ship the vaccine to approximately 350 locations across the state.

Shipments are expected in Ohio next week with about 123,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and about 70,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. The week of December 28, Ohio expects to receive 148,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 89,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. At this time, January shipments are still being arranged. Ohio is watching the advancement of two other vaccines in the pipeline,  from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

About 764 providers have enrolled in Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination program. Applicants should hear back within about 24 hours if they’ve been approved.

The CDC invited Ohio to participate in an early scaled launch to vaccinate nursing home residents and staff. Ohio began providing vaccinations in 5-10 nursing homes this morning. The state had previously scheduled to start the nursing home vaccination program in partnership with pharmacy providers on Monday, December 21. As part of this federal program, facilities in Ohio will be among the first in the nation to receive vaccines through Walgreen’s, CVS, PharmScript, and Absolute Pharmacy.

COVID Continues to Ravage State

While only one Ohio county (Richland) is at the highest level on the advisory map this week, all 88 counties have a level of spread that is at least three times more than what the CDC considers high incidence. The top 20 Ohio counties show rates of nine to 13 times the high-incidence level. At his briefing yesterday Gov. Mike DeWine said the color code system takes on less meaning when everything is red.

December is already the deadliest month of the pandemic, with 1,348 deaths so far in Ohio—an average of 84 a day. Previously, May was the worst month with 1,180 Ohio deaths. COVID-19 is the fourth leading cause of deaths in the state.

Funeral Directors Appeal for Timely Death Certificates

Physician organizations in Ohio have received a request from the Ohio Funeral Directors Association and its 952 funeral home members. They are specifically asking physicians to aid in the timely and honorable disposition of human remains by promptly issuing death certificates. State law requires the decedent’s attending physician to certify the cause of death within 48 hours.

The request reads in part:

We recognize the strain the pandemic has had on the health care system and truly appreciate the endless hours of care provided to ensure the health of your patients. The pandemic has had a profound impact on the deathcare profession as well. Funeral homes are often small businesses with limited staff, so the efficiency of operations is vital. Ohio funeral homes and crematories are experiencing historically high levels of decedents, which can easily overwhelm storage capacities.

Section 3705.16(C) of the Ohio Revised Code requires the decedent’s attending physician to certify the cause of death within 48 hours of the death occurring. Without the physician’s certification, the death certificate cannot be filed. Any delay in the physician signing the death certificate causes a corresponding delay in burials and cremations, added emotional stress for families, as well as the family’s inability to obtain needed death certificates to collect insurance proceeds, open estates, transfer and close security and bank accounts.

Medical Board Surveys Medical Staff for Health Care Surge

The State Medical Board of Ohio is gathering information about licensed staff willing to be deployed to health facilities in crisis due to COVID-19 to provide patient care. The goal is to identify unaffiliated personnel (people not already being counted by hospitals) who can offer support in a health care surge. Support may be needed for both clinical and behavioral health care.

Available and interested licensees will be contacted by a representative from the State of Ohio or by interested health care entities to discuss next steps. If you filled out the survey this past spring and remain interested, you must complete the form again.

Lawmakers Keep Busy During Lame Duck

A flurry of activity, farewell speeches, and a late night marathon session were on tap yesterday as Ohio lawmakers near the end of the two-year General Assembly. Bills that haven’t received final approval by both chambers by December 31 will die and need to be reintroduced when the 134th General Assembly convenes in January. Despite the full day, legislators did not complete their work and have scheduled session for today in the Senate and next week in the House of Representatives.

The OOA has been tracking nearly 100 bills this session that impact the health care community.  While many of them received hearings, HB 253, the fireworks bill, received the most attention during lame duck. Senators approved the bill that allows local governments to permit the discharge of backyard fireworks on private property, but only on July 3, 4, 5.

Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) was among those giving farewell speeches this week. Obhof, a state lawmaker since 2011, is term-limited and spent the last four years as Senate president.

Virtual Celebration Welcomes Class of 2024

Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine hosted a virtual Osteopathic Pledge Ceremony and White Coat Celebration for the Class of 2024 on Thursday evening. The event came as the students completed their first semester of medical school.

Nearly 400 people attended the online event, including family of the incoming class, faculty, friends of the profession, and others. A welcome message from OOA President Sandra L. Cook, DO, was posted to the celebration page.

Students had previously received their white coats, complete with OOA arm patch, in August at a small ceremony at each campus. For the virtual celebration, students selected a family member to present them with their short, white coat. 

Call for Abstracts

The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Ohio Osteopathic Association announce a Call for Abstracts for the 2021 Ohio Osteopathic Symposium Virtual Research Competition.

The 2021 event will be structured very differently from prior competitions so please review the guidelines and process carefully prior to submitting an abstract. For example, there is only one category: biomedical/clinical research. There’s still a cash prize for the top three projects.

The deadline for abstracts is January 31.

Another New Phishing Scam 

The State Medical Board of Ohio has been made aware of an email phishing scam that is being sent to licensees. The sender claims to represent the Ohio Secretary of State and is attempting to gain access to your personal information through a fraudulent request to validate your profile. There is no need to validate your user profile. Do not click the link or input any sensitive information.  

If you have clicked on links in a suspicious email and entered confidential information, visit the Federal Trade Commission website and review the information on identity theft at www.identitytheft.gov.