Kentucky COVID-19 vaccine Phase 1C starts Monday but expect delays in NKY

Following Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s plan to begin administering vaccinations to those who qualify for Phase 1C on March 1, NKU has released updated information for site locations and qualifications to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in this area.

According to Kentucky’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, Phase 1C includes “anyone age 60 or older, anyone age 16 or older with CDC highest risk C19 risk conditions, [and] all essential workers.”

Interim Provost Ande Durojaiye released in a campus-wide email that the Northern Kentucky area is not expected to receive an increase in vaccine doses in preparation for the next phase. This will cause its vaccination sites to prioritize those qualifying for Phase 1C differently in the following ways:

• “The NKY Health Department will accept those age 60 or older or those age 16 or older with high-risk conditions defined by the CDC (listed below). But at this time, all their appointment slots are currently full.
• St. Elizabeth Healthcare will accept anyone who meets Phase 1C criteria. But at this time, all their appointment slots are currently full.
• Kroger has not yet officially announced its prioritization, but the governor announced that their mass vaccination site in the Covington Convention Center will accept those age 60 or older or those age 16 or older with high-risk conditions defined by the CDC (listed below). At this time, however, their online registration site is only accepting those meeting criteria for Phase 1A and Phase 1B.
• Walgreens has not yet announced its prioritization. At this time, however, their online registration site is only accepting those meeting criteria for Phase 1A and Phase 1B.
• Walmart has not yet announced its prioritization. At this time, however, their online registration site is only accepting those meeting criteria for Phase 1A and Phase 1B.”

As of next week, which will begin Phase 1C for Kentucky, those qualifying for Phase 1C in Northern Kentucky may experience a delay in receiving the vaccine because most of the sites are already fully booked or are still prioritizing those in Phases 1A and 1B. 

Regardless, NKU administrators urge those qualifying for Phase 1C to register online for a vaccination appointment as soon as possible. The Northern Kentucky Health Department has created a webpage that aggregates all vaccinations sites in the area for those to choose from and register.

In the email, the administration also addressed university workers who do not live in Kentucky about vaccination plans. NKU employees who live in Ohio and Indiana are expected to follow their state’s vaccination plan—neither of which have released a plan regarding essential workers at this time. Students who live in Ohio or Indiana can register for the COVID-19 vaccine here and here respectively.

To meet the requirements of a high-risk condition for vaccination during Phase 1C of Kentucky’s vaccination plan, the individual must have any of the following condition: 

• “Cancer
• Chronic Kidney Disease.
• COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
• Down Syndrome.
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy
• Immunocompromised state (such as weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant.
• Obesity (body mass over 30%).
• Severe obesity (body mass over 40%).
• Pregnancy.
• Sickle cell.
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus.”

Currently, Ohio is still in Phase 1B of its vaccination plan, which includes those 16 or older who were born with the following high-risk conditions:

• “Sickle cell anemia. 
• Down syndrome. 
• Cystic fibrosis. 
• Muscular dystrophy.
• Cerebral palsy.
• Spina bifida.
• People born with severe heart defects requiring regular specialized medical care.
• People with severe type 1 diabetes who have been hospitalized for this in the past year.
• Phenylketonuria (PKU), Tay-Sachs, and other rare, inherited metabolic disorders. 
• Epilepsy with continuing seizures; hydrocephaly; microcephaly and other severe neurological disorders. 
• Turner syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome and other severe genetic disorders.
• People with severe asthma who have been hospitalized for this in the past year.
• Alpha and beta thalassemia. 
• Solid organ transplant candidates and recipients.”

More information related to vaccine distribution will be forthcoming as it becomes available. Provost Durojaiye closed the announcement by wishing campus community members to remain safe and healthy.