COVID-19 Vaccine Update

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health, in partnership with the CDC, are rolling out vaccine distribution in a phased approach. The Food and Drug Administration is currently authorizing COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use only; however, experts expect the FDA to approve the COVID-19 vaccines for regular use once it has more data over the next few months.

Thus, it could still be months before enough vaccine is available for healthy members of the general population to start getting shots.

The university has formed a subcommittee of our COVID-19 response team to actively monitor federal and state vaccine distribution plans and coordinate with state and local health experts in preparation for any expanded vaccine distribution that might include the UC campus. The UC subcommittee includes representation from the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Health Departments as well as expert consultants from the College of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases and the UC Health COVID-19 core team. 

Additional information is available on the Ohio Department of Health website:

• Vaccine distribution phases.
• Ohio Department of Health general vaccine FAQ.
• Jan. 5 update on vaccine distribution provided by Governor Mike DeWine.

Additional information is available from Hamilton County Test and Protect

• COVID-19 vaccine priority groups and health providers contact information
• Ohioans in the Cincinnati area can sign up to receive updates when additional groups become eligible for the vaccine.

Also, watch this town hall titled “COVID-19 Vaccines: What You Should Know” presented by the UC Alumni Association and featuring UC Health clinicians and UC faculty. UC alumni and members of the campus community submitted questions to the medical panel. See the vaccine FAQ from those submitted questions and responses.  

The town hall was moderated by Christopher Lewis, M.D., professor of family and community medicine, and features: 

• Carl J. Fichtenbaum, M.D., professor of clinical medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, principal investigator for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial at UC / UC Health
• Robert W. Frenck, Jr., MD, FAAP, professor of pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, principal investigator for Pfizer and Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccines at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital 
• Sharice Wood, MD, MPH, UC Health combined internal medicine & pediatrics physician, assistant professor of medicine, participant in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial at UC / UC Health.

Vaccine FAQs

• See a Ohio Department of Health FAQ on the vaccine.
• See the Q&A submissions and responses from a Jan. 12 UC Alumni town hall featuring UC Health and UC clinicians and UC faculty.
• See Hamilton County Vaccine Information for links to vaccine providers in Hamilton County
• See UC Health COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution for information about obtaining vaccine from UC Health.