The Delaware Public Health District has rolled out a new vaccination registration process ahead of eligibility for vaccinations being expanded at the end of the month.

As Ohio’s COVID-19 mass vaccination plan continues, the health district said last week it has a new system for residents to use to register for a vaccination appointment.

DPHD Public Information Officer Traci Whittaker said the system was reworked following Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s announcement concerning new tiers of vaccination eligibility.

“After Gov. DeWine released the new tiers earlier this month, we decided to stop our preregistration process,” Whittaker said. “Instead, we have an appointment link on DelawareHealth.org/covid-19vaccine for eligible individuals to schedule an appointment. If the form states no appointments are available, this means all slots are currently filled. We continually monitor this and open more appointments as cancellations and vaccine supply allows. If no appointments are available, we encourage eligible individuals to keep checking the form for new openings.”

Whittaker said the State of Ohio also has a new tool at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov to help Ohioans determine vaccine eligibility, find providers, and receive updates.

The health district reported Monday it has administered 17,000 COVID-19 vaccinations so far.

Whittaker said health district staff will schedule an appoint for the second dose of the vaccination after county residents receive their first dose through the health district.

“A confirmation email regarding their second dose will be sent on the day they receive their first dose,” Whittaker said. “We ask individuals to remember to check your spam/junk folder.”

Whittaker added that while the vaccine itself is free, there is a cost to administer the vaccine, so the health district will bill each person’s health insurance to cover that cost.

More information about the vaccine and the vaccination process can be found at https://delawarehealth.org/covid-19vaccine/.