Students from the College of Public Health, supervised by Joshua Filla, Kent State’s Public Policy and Health Outreach Coordinator, were connected with the Portage County Health District to assist with county vaccination efforts. Under the direction of an epidemiologist, CPH students completed data entry-related tasks during the mass vaccination clinics at the Kent State University’s Field House.
The Portage County Combined General Health District provided the following statement updating the ongoing vaccination efforts in the community:
“The Portage County Combined General Health District has vaccinated about 30,000 persons from December 26, 2020, to date, and continues to provide vaccinations in a variety of locations and situations. The mass vaccination clinics located at the KSU Fieldhouse were heavily used, with two to three thousand persons vaccinated per clinic on Tuesdays from March 23 through mid-May,” said President Robert Howard, Board of Health.
“Much support has been provided by many partners, including the College of Nursing and other KSU colleges [College of Public Health] , faculty, staff, and students, the Kent City Health Department, and the Medical Reserve Corps. The Health District is working with several school districts to immunize newly-eligible students over the next several weeks,” Howard continued.
“Altogether, the Ohio Department of Health reports that about 50% of Portage Countians have been vaccinated through all sources, including local health departments, pharmacies, and educational and health care organizations. Although the pace of vaccinations has diminished, the efforts to maximize coverage are continuing and are expected to continue throughout the next several months,” said President Robert Howard, Board of Health,” said Howard.