Darrin Lautenschleger from Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital hosts Part 1 of this 2-part series that answers key community questions about the new COVID-19 vaccine in Tuscarawas County.

The purpose of this podcast is to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine and how important it is for residents of Tuscarawas County – as well as throughout the State of Ohio and the entire nation – to seriously consider receiving the vaccine when it becomes available to them. Our best opportunity to begin to control the coronavirus is by receiving the vaccine when it is available to us, and by continuing to follow the best practices we all have heard repeated frequently: shelter in place when possible, wear facemasks whenever you are around others, keep a safe distance from others and wash your hands frequently.

Darrin is joined by 4 guests. First, Steve Stokey (Executive VP of Allied Machine & Engineering) and Scott Robinson (Executive Director of the Tuscarawas County Chamber of Commerce) discuss how the COVID-19 vaccine affects business and operations in our community.

After that, Vickie Ionno (Commissioner, New Philadelphia City Health Department) and Katie Seward (Commissioner, Tuscarawas County Health Department) join the conversation to discuss common questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine.

Key questions:

• Do you or have you already talked with your employees about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them?
• In your estimation, is the COVID-19 vaccine an important breakthrough in helping all of us begin to break through from the grip of the pandemic?
• When it comes to wearing masks and following the recommended best practices, does it really matter how big or small a local business or organization is to have success in helping control the spread of the coronavirus?
• How will the COVID-19 vaccine impact local businesses in a positive way and increase consumer confidence in actually going into a store, less employee absenteeism, etc?
• With the COVID-19 vaccine now available, is it still important to continue with the safety protocols to wear facial coverings, observe social distancing, and frequent hand-washing?
• What are the expected side effects from getting the COVID-19 vaccine?
• Who is the vaccine approved for use for, and should a person who has had COVID-19 be vaccinated?
• Can the vaccine give a person COVID-19?