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Health departments and the strategy behind scheduling vaccinations

Once a vial of vaccine is opened, health departments have 6 hours to administer all the doses.

UPPER SANDUSKY, Ohio — Local health departments have been busy tracking and giving COVID-19 vaccines. Now, they're getting set to open the shot up to more people.

It might seem obvious, but the first step to making sure each drop of the vaccine gets used is keeping precise records.

"That's what our plan is, to just go down the spreadsheet until the next person in line, that way we know they're given to the correct people who are next and we're not wasting it as well," said Jamie Crawford, director of nursing for Wyandot County.

Wyandot County has a population of 22,000. As of Jan. 16, 260 vaccines have been administered countywide.

Zero doses have gone to waste and there's a waiting list of 3,000 people, which is almost 14% of people living there.

"The more vaccine that's going out, the more people are thinking 'you know what, maybe it is safe' and we've seen in the past few days quite a few names rolling in," Crawford said.

The county posted its waiting list on its website.

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It organizes people through a series of questions so health officials know who's eligible next if someone cancels or doesn't show up.

Just under a two hour drive northwest, Williams County depends on its healthcare providers.

They're tasked with finding people ready for the shot, should they have additional doses.

The county has a phone line that went live this morning.

Health Commissioner James Watkins says it's been ringing off the hook with people wanting to put their name on the list to be vaccinated.

"Here in Williams County, about 20% of the population is 65 or older, so with that, that's a fairly large group that we're starting to get into," Watkins said.

Williams County has vaccinated about 350 people, or just under 1% of around 36,000 residents who need to be vaccinated.

Watkins said about 100 doses come in each a week, minus this week when they got twice as many.

Both counties are busy right now making sure they're ready for a wider rollout to people over 80 next week.

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