WAYNE COUNTY, OH, Jan. 24, 2022 — Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of four (4) free at-home tests from USPS.com.
Here’s what you need to know about your order:
Order here: https://special.usps.com/testkits
WAYNE COUNTY, OH, Feb. 26, 2021 — The Wayne County Health Department, in conjunction with the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency, effective today, will begin releasing the number of COVID-19 vaccines received each week from the State of Ohio. The vaccine dosage allotment for the current and previous week can be found online at www.wcjic.org.
PHASE 1B COVID-19 VACCINE DISTRIBUTION TO BEGIN IN WAYNE COUNTY
WAYNE COUNTY, OH, January 14, 2021 — The State of Ohio has announced statewide efforts to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to Ohioans who belong to the Phase 1B population beginning January 19, 2021. This is part of a tiered approach based on vaccination priorities designated by Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health.
The Wayne County Health Department (WCHD), Wooster Community Hospital, Aultman-Orrville Hospital, Discount Drug Mart and Marcs Pharmacy will serve as vaccine dispensing points to serve Wayne County residents.
Wayne County will be receiving a total of 900 doses for next week. Supply of vaccines sent by the State of Ohio to Wayne County is currently in very small numbers. Due to the current supply levels, we anticipate there will not be enough vaccine to be distributed to each age group in their assigned week. As a result, the WCHD has established a registry for any Wayne County resident 65 and older interested in receiving the vaccine. This registry will allow the Wayne County Health Department to prioritize vaccine distribution between the Health Department and the Hospitals. It will also allow us to contact those who were unable to receive the vaccine to receive it when vaccine supply increases. We are asking residents to be patient.
Those who complete the registry will receive further information or notification on where to receive their vaccination and when vaccine is available for them. You will not receive vaccine through the Health Department or the hospitals if you have not registered and been notified with a clinic appointment.
The vaccine registry can be found at www.wayne-health.org/coronavirus. If you do not have internet access or you need assistance filling the form out, please contact the United Way WHIRE line at (330) 263-6363. Someone there will assist you. Please do not go to a dispensing location and expect to receive a vaccine if you have not been contacted for an appointment.
Each vaccine recipient is asked to bring their insurance information however it is not required if they have no insurance. There is no out of pocket cost for receiving the vaccine through the health department or the hospitals. Also please plan to receive your second dose where you received your first dose.
Discount Drug Mart and Marc’s Pharmacy will also be receiving part of the county’s total allocation. For information on receiving vaccine at one of the pharmacies you may contact:
A copy of this announcement is available HERE.
WAYNE COUNTY, OH, Dec. 30, 2020 — The Wayne County Health Department along with The Wooster Division of Fire, The Wooster Police Department, OSU/OARDC, The Wayne Co Sheriff’s Office, and The Wayne County Emergency Management Agency plans to conduct COVID-19 testing on January 9, 2021, from 10 am to 2 pm at the OARDC campus, 1680 Madison Ave. Wooster, Ohio. To enter for testing using the Gossard Dr. entrance, off State Route 250 near the Ohio State Highway Patrol post. The testing will be facilitated by the Ohio National Guard and will be open to the public for free on a first-come-first-served basis.
Public COVID-19 testing expired during the second week of December but was recently re-instated by Governor Mike DeWine to continue during the first quarter of 2021. Wayne County Health Commissioner Nick Cascarelli stated “We appreciate the Governor making the National Guard available to conduct the upcoming pop-up testing event in Wayne County. This event will be helpful in identifying asymptomatic and symptomatic people post-holiday.” He adds that “it is crucial to continue to identify positive cases to isolate them and to appropriately quarantine their close contacts. While vaccine distribution has started, the pandemic is not over yet.”
Wooster Division of Fire, Chief Barry Saley comments that “pop-up testing for COVID-19 is an effective tool for public health officials and first responders to protect our community. By being proactive and conducting mass testing events, we can quickly identify community members that are asymptomatic carriers or have mild symptoms that may not normally be tested. This early identification will allow those citizens to self-isolate and minimize the potential of unknowingly spreading the virus to our families and friends.” Wayne County Commissioner Sue Smail adds, “I am pleased that Wayne County will be hosting a pop-up testing site. The timing should help catch a lot of the Christmas to New Year’s holiday exposures.”
According to Wayne County Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Villegas, the COVID-19 pop-up testing site is a massive cooperative effort participated by many local public safety agencies. “It was clear that our local public safety agencies are concerned about Coronavirus spread,” says Villegas. “This pop-up testing site is a valuable tool to gauge local spread and find ways to mitigate its effects in our community” he added. Wayne County Sheriff Travis Hutchinson stated that “We are pleased to partner with other public agencies for this event. Public safety goes beyond safe driving tips and asking people to lock their doors at night. I would encourage anyone who is interested to get tested as a way to help curb the spread of this virus.”
Testing will begin at 10 am. Traffic signs will be placed around campus entrances to help those coming for COVID-19 testing navigate to the testing entrance on Gossard Dr. Please do not use any other entrance if you want to get in line for the test; it will interrupt planned traffic flow. For more information, please contact the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency at 330-262-9817.
COLUMBUS, OH, Dec.15, 2020 — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is cautioning Ohioans to look out for COVID-19 vaccine-related scams that will occur as the vaccine is distributed beginning this week.
“A single dose of information can vaccinate you against fraud,” Yost said.
For example, consumers could see scammers impersonating distributors, providers, or local health department claiming to need personal information such as a Social Security number to get on a list to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Other scammers could pretend to be able to help consumers jump to the front of the line to get a vaccine, but ask for advanced payment to secure their place in line. These communications could come through email, phone calls, postal mail, text message, or even through social media accounts.
Do not fall for these scams.
Also, reports indicate that cards may be distributed to consumers that have been provided the first dose of a two-dose vaccine. These will likely be used to simply remind consumers to get their second dose, not as official “passports” to gain entry into bars, restaurants, or other public areas, or to bypass public health orders. Therefore, any attempts to buy these cards will be fruitless.
Do not fall for these scams.
Early in 2020, published reports warned consumers to have their guard up when going online to receive information for products and services designed to help protect against COVID-19. In reality, computer hackers were reportedly sending spam emails with links that were designed to infect consumers’ computers with malicious software, some of which may steal personal information or passwords stored on their devices.
Within the first week of the COVID-19 lockdown in March, scammers started emailing, calling, and texting Ohioans trying to steal their identity or money, according to data from Yost’s Constituent Services Section.
Some of those scams asked people to pay for advice on how to treat COVID-19, pay for access to care and to give personal information in order to get medication or prevent infection.
To date, Yost’s office has received 39 complaints of potential COVID-19-related scams.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office recommends several tips to help consumers avoid potential virus and vaccine-related scams:
Verify any vaccine-related information with legitimate news reports. Double-check any new “too-good-to-be-true” news or claims. You may wish to consider contacting your family doctor, your local health department, or the statewide Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19 call center (1-833-427-5634) to check on issues you are unsure about.
Look for some of the red flags of a scam, such as being asked to wire money or send a prepaid money card or gift card to a stranger; being pressured to act immediately, or being told to buy a product or service where the company refuses to provide any information in writing. Also, look out if you’re asked to keep conversations a secret.
You likely will not need to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine during this public health emergency. You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine. You can’t pay to get early access to the vaccine.
No one from a vaccine distribution site or health care payer, like a private insurance company, will call you asking for your Social Security number or your credit card or bank account information to sign you up to get the vaccine.
Consumers who suspect an unfair business practice or want help addressing a consumer problem should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.