The Williams County Health Department has developed community talking points in an effort to provide useful information as we work together to prevent COVID-19 spread in our community.
- COVID-19 cases remain high in Williams County. In the past 7 days (Feb. 3rd-Feb. 10th), there have been 51 new cases, 1 hospitalization, and 2 deaths. As of 2/4, Williams County remains level 3 (red) on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS) and triggered 2 of the 7 indicators (New cases per capita & Non-congregate cases) and high incidence.
- People who are 65 years or older in Williams County can now register for a COVID-19 vaccine.
-ONLINE: Register online by completing the form on the Williams County Health Department’s website (bit.ly/WCVaccine).
-BY PHONE: Register over the phone by calling the NEW COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 419-636-0081. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. Please reserve phone lines for those who cannot use online resources.
-Attached are flyers that can be printed, posted, or distributed to help people register for the vaccine in your agency. Please share this information with your contacts.
- Vaccine Myths vs. Facts – Source: CDC & ODH
-MYTH: COVID-19 vaccines aren’t safe. FACT: COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
-COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the US were rigorously tested and are more than 94% effective.
-The development process for COVID-19 vaccines involved several steps comparable with those used to develop other vaccines such as the flu or measles vaccine, which have successfully protected millions of Ohioans for decades.
-Evidence shows that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and work to prevent COVID-19. Of the first two vaccines to be granted FDA emergency use authorization, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was 95% effective, and the Moderna vaccine was 94% effective in phase 3 clinical trials.
Although the COVID-19 vaccines themselves have been developed recently, the technology used in mRNA vaccines, like those developed by Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna, has been studied for decades.
-MYTH: Vaccines that use mRNA will alter my DNA or genetic makeup. FACT: Receiving an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) will NOT alter your DNA.
-COVID-19 vaccines will not change your DNA or alter your genetic makeup. It isn’t possible for mRNA to alter or modify a person’s genetic makeup.
-mRNA or messenger RNA vaccines contain instructions for your body to make proteins that can be used to produce the harmless “spike protein” found on the surface of a COVID-19 virus. After our bodies make the spike protein, the cell breaks down the mRNA into pieces.
At no point does the mRNA enter the cell’s nucleus, which is where our genetic material (DNA) lives. The immune system recognizes the spike protein as an invader and produces antibodies against it.
If the antibodies later come in contact with the actual virus, they are ready to recognize and destroy it before it causes illness. COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to the virus.