Complete Story
06/10/2021
Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Falsehoods & Supporting Statewide Vaccination Efforts
As Ohio continues efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible against COVID-19, OSMA is proud to support these efforts and ensure member physicians have the information and tools they need to encourage vaccines and be vaccine providers.
Here is a summary of a few recent activities:
Dr. Egbert Participates in Press Conference on Vaccine Falsehoods, Fertility Safety
It is up to the entire healthcare community to combat vaccine falsehoods and misinformation – one of them being concerns about how the vaccine can impact fertility and pregnancy.
Earlier this week. OSMA President Dr. Lisa Egbert participated in a panel discussion with Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Ohio Department of Health chief medical officer, and Dr. Neel Parekh, men’s infertility urologist at the Cleveland Clinic, on the safety of COVID vaccines related to fertility.
Dr. Egbert, an OBGYN with Paragon Women’s Care, talked specifically about the safety of vaccines for women of childbearing age as well as women who are currently pregnant.
“There is no scientific evidence, nor is there a scientific pathway for there to be any ill effects toward fertility both at the time of vaccination and future fertility,” said Egbert.
Both Egbert and Parekh noted the real risk for long-term impacts on fertility and pregnancy complications is if a patient is infected with COVID-19. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology both recommend COVID vaccinations for women and men.
A number of news outlets across the state covered the press conference, and you can find a summary on the Ohio Capital Journal. As you see patients who have questions about the COVID vaccine and reproductive health, please refer to this press conference and reiterate the message that vaccines are safe for both women and men and have no impact on fertility.
Ohio Department of Health Announces 200,000 Dose Surplus of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine, Encourages Providers to Administer as many as Possible
The Ohio Department of Health this week sent out communication to healthcare providers about a surplus of approximately 200,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine which are set to expire on June 23. These doses have been distributed to retail pharmacies and health centers across the state, and the Ohio Department of Health is encouraging healthcare providers to act so that the state can maximize vaccinations and minimize waste.
To support these efforts, ODH put together information about suggested tactics to increase vaccine opportunities as well as messaging to use in encouraging the public to take advantage of these vaccine doses.
Medicare & Medicaid Announce Additional Payment Amount for In-Home COVID Vaccinations
As the Biden Administration continues its work to increase access to vaccinations, this week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid announced it is increasing the payment amount for providers to administer at-home vaccinations.
This change will allow for more Medicare & Medicaid consumers – who may not have access or ability to travel to a pharmacy – to take advantage of getting the COVID-19 vaccine at home as part of in-home care.
And the additional payment, which increases from approximately $40 to approximately $75 per vaccine dose, helps Medicare & Medicaid providers cover costs associated with logistical challenges of the vaccine and the extra time needed to monitor the patient after the vaccine is administrated.
More information about this update can be found from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/biden-administration-continues-efforts-increase-vaccinations-bolstering-payments-home-covid-19
