Staff photo / David Skolnick Mercy Health pharmacy technician Donna Stoyanov, left, inspects a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna Pharmaceuticals at St. Elizabeth Hospital on Tueday as Mercy Health pharmacy manager William Johnson looks on. The first 4,800 doses of the vaccine are for medical staff and employees, according to Dr. James Kravec, Mercy Health’s chief clinical officer and Mahoning County Public Health’s medical director.

Mercy Health-Youngstown, which operates three Mahoning Valley hospitals, has received its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 4,800 doses are for Mercy Health’s medical staff and employees.

The vaccine, which needs to be given in two doses, arrived Tuesday with about 400 employees immunized that day, said Dr. James Kravec, Mercy Health’s chief clinical officer and Mahoning County Public Health’s medical director.

“It’s a milestone day,” he said.

There will be further vaccinations for the first round over the next few weeks, he said, with the second dose given 28 days after the initial dose, Kravec said.

He added: “We’ve got light at the end of the tunnel.”

It isn’t known when Mercy Health will be able to provide vaccinations to the general public or get additional doses, Kravec said.

The Ohio Department of Health asked Mercy Health to concentrate on its staff for the vaccines, he said.

The vaccine at Mercy Health is produced by Moderna Pharmaceuticals.

Mercy Health operates St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital and St. Joseph Warren Hospital.

Among those getting the first vaccination Tuesday was Shareece Mashiska, nurse manager at St. Elizabeth Youngstown.

“Today we made history,” she said. “I’m very proud I was able to get the vaccine.”

Dr. John Luellen, Mercy Health-Youngstown market president, said: “What struck us was the remarkable sense of optimism” from staff members who have struggled with the pandemic around them and long work hours.

Also, ODH said Tuesday that a second Pfizer allotment of 89,700 doses will arrive Thursday in the state. That is an increase of 19,500 than was previously expected, ODH said. An additional 69,700 Moderna doses also will arrive this week.

All of these new doses will go to hospitals that didn’t receive vaccinations from the first allocation of doses. Valley hospitals weren’t part of that first wave.

The state also will distribute vaccines to assisted-living facilities as well as residential-care facilities, continuing care retirement communities and care facilities for those with developmental disabilities, ODH said.

Gov. Mike DeWine said last week the state would receive 98,475 Pfizer doses for that first allocation.

As of Tuesday, only 8,453 people in the state, or 0.07 percent of Ohio’s population, had received one of the two-dose vaccinations, according to ODH statistics. That includes nine in Trumbull, 29 in Mahoning and 22 in Columbiana counties.

Those statistics didn’t include the Mercy Health employees who were vaccinated Tuesday.

LEPORE-HAGAN TESTS POSITIVE

State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, D-Youngstown, announced Tuesday that she tested positive for COVID-19.

She said she was asymptomatic, but got tested. She blamed Ohio House Republicans for contracting the virus after being in close proximity to members who showed symptoms and refused to wear masks or properly social distance.

“I initially learned that Speaker Robert Cupp had concealed the fact that a member of his caucus had tested positive, and that state Reps. John Rogers and John Patterson (both Democrats) were hospitalized with the virus,” Lepore-Hagan said. “Based on this concern of exposure and the Republicans’ continued refusal to act responsibly, I self-quarantined and was tested. My positive test underscores the Republican leadership’s rejection of science and acquiescence to the most extreme elements of their party, putting people’s health and lives at risk.”

Hagan is quarantining at her house. Her husband, Robert, a former state legislator, has tested negative for COVID-19.

House Democrats have asked Cupp, R-Lima, several times to require face masks for sessions and hearings and have complained about him not informing them about positive tests among members and staffers. Cupp has declined to make face masks mandatory.

COVID-19 NUMBERS

ODH reported 637,032 total COVID-19 cases Tuesday with 467,570 presumed recovered and 8,252 deaths.

It is an increase of 7,678 cases from a day prior, less than the 9,854 daily average for the past 21 days. There were 130 reported deaths Tuesday, which is more than the 81 daily average for the past 21 days.

The state reported 13,345 total cases Tuesday in Mahoning County with 9,532 presumed recovered and 311 deaths.

ODH listed 9,940 total COVID-19 cases Tuesday in Trumbull County with 7,345 presumed recovered and 233 fatalities. Trumbull likely will reach the 10,000 mark today.

The state reported 5,598 total cases Tuesday in Columbiana County with 4,191 presumed recovered and 117 deaths.

With eight new cases identified Monday, Youngstown State University this week had the lowest number of reported coronavirus cases since the week of Sept. 26 when it had three total cases.

There were eight students and no faculty/staff identified with the virus during the week of Dec. 12. None of the students live on YSU’s campus.

During the week of Dec. 5, YSU reported 67 new cases of people with the virus.

Classes primarily have been online.

dskolnick@tribtoday.comx