Butler County offering walk-in vaccine clinic

Butler County Public Health is continuing to adjust vaccine availability.

Due to a lack of demand, the next prime clinic for the Moderna vaccine is still scheduled for June 4. However, the county is offering a walk-in clinic for those interested in the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday, May 19 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at their office at the county courthouse.

With news that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children aged 12 and up, there have been questions about getting children vaccinated. Butler County Public Health Director Jennifer Becker says that while parents are free to take their children to a clinic elsewhere in the state that carries Pfizer, the county will be unable to administer the vaccine locally due to its cold storage requirements.

"The kids will be eligible, but we'll never carry it," said Becker.

It is unlikely that children in the county will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine until trials on Moderna or Johnson & Johnson's vaccine are completed and they are approved for use by the CDC.

As of Monday, May 10, approximately 12,300 doses of vaccine have been administered to Butler County residents, with 5,734 completing their two-dose vaccine series and an additional 322 receiving a one-dose vaccination. This brings the total number of vaccinated residents to 6,056.

A total of 1,650 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the county, increasing the county total in the last week by four cases, a welcome drop in new cases following a couple weeks of rising numbers.

In Butler County, 7,348 individuals have been tested at some point during the pandemic, with a total of 30,289 tests performed on Butler County residents overall. In the last 14 days, 2.5% of the total tests have been positive for the virus.

No additional COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in the county, keeping the county total at 34.