After getting through December — which was the deadliest month for COVID-19 in the area — Hamilton County Health Department reps have started administering vaccines for the virus.

Here’s what you need to know to figure out when you’re eligible for the vaccine.

The broad plan

The local health department is following the state’s distribution plan, which prioritizes populations based on their risk of contracting + spreading the virus. It also takes into account risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19.

In addition to the information outlined, each phase also includes simultaneous age-based criteria based on 10-year age brackets, starting with 75-year-olds.

On Monday, the local health department also announced that they added an alphabet system that will be used to limit the traffic at the Riverpark vaccination site. One day will be for people whose last names start with letters A-K, and the next day will be for L-Z.

To be admitted into the site, you must

Fall into the current phase category
Be in the correct group, according to your last name
Have proof of meeting the criteria + proof of residency (Proof of eligibility can be a document showing current address, work ID, badge, letter or email from your employer, or a pay stub.)
Check-in at a health department screening station to ensure you're approved for the vaccine
More about that here

Phases

😷 Phase 1a has two parts

1a1 is for inpatient health care providers, first responders with direct exposure to the public + staff and residents of long term care facilities.
1a2 is for those primarily working in outpatient health care settings.
Both of these phases also include people 75+.

😷Phase 1b

This phase includes teachers and staff of childcare centers and K-12 schools + other first responders not previously vaccinated in Phase 1a1.

😷Phase 1c

Subsequent phases will be based on information from the federal government and include people ages 16 or older who have high-risk health conditions.

ProTip: For more specific job titles included in each phase, check this page from the local health department. Go ahead and bookmark that.

Post-vaccine

The V-safe smartphone tool allows you to report side effects + get a reminder about the second dose of your vaccine, which must be taken 21 or 28 days after the first, depending on which company — Pfizer or Moderna — your vaccine comes from.

More information

Once your phase opens, it stays open.
Call the hotline at 423-209-8383 with any questions.
The health department is updating this page as well as its social media accounts to provide daily info about getting the vaccines.