Ohio State scheduling loophole allows ineligible students to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations

Jack Long, Bella Czajkowski
Thu, 04 Mar 2021 01:34:25 +0000
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Editor’s note: The above screen recording was made by The Lantern to demonstrate the ability to schedule a vaccination through MyChart. The video ends before finalizing the appointment and no appointment was made.

Ohio State students have been wondering when they’ll be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine. If ineligible students are willing to lie, they may be able to get it as soon as Thursday through a scheduling loophole.

But they are not the only ones. Anyone with a MyChart account through the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State can sign up, regardless of whether they are actually eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.?

MyChart, the medical center’s portal for scheduling and viewing test results, relies on the honor system for users to self-report whether they are eligible for the vaccine by selecting if they have a medical condition or an occupation that qualifies under Ohio’s current guidelines.?

Nothing prevents users from falsely stating they qualify, as some students were able to successfully schedule a vaccine, The Lantern confirmed. But the university warns against signing up if you are ineligible for the vaccine, citing “civil and criminal consequences.”

University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in a statement, “It is disappointing and unacceptable that anyone would misrepresent themselves in order to receive a vaccine prematurely.”

Phase 1C of the vaccine plan, which begins Thursday, includes about 246,000 Ohioans and targets individuals of high-risk occupations and those with medical conditions that increase their risk for COVID-19.?

High-risk occupations include child care services, funeral services, law enforcement, corrections services and firefighters, according to the Ohio Department of Health website. The phase also includes pregnant people, bone marrow transplant recipients, and people with Type 1 diabetes or ALS.?

Phase 2, which also begins Thursday, includes Ohioans ages 60 and older — about 695,000 individuals.

Self-reporting one’s eligibility is a norm across Ohio. Providers of the vaccine, such as CVS or the medical center, may ask additional screening questions of vaccine recipients verbally or on screening and registration forms. The state does not require any additional proof of eligibility to receive the vaccine, Alicia Shoults, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Health, said.

Marti Leitch, director of media relations for the medical center, said the center is “explicitly following” the health department’s guidance. Currently, the medical center does not plan to change the scheduling procedure on MyChart.

The health department does require additional data points on-site, including indicating a category of eligibility, when someone gets vaccinated. However, Leitch said, to her knowledge, these additional questions would not filter out ineligible people from getting the vaccines.

University spokesperson Ben Johnson provided the following statement:?

“Individuals must schedule a vaccination appointment only if they meet the eligibility criteria set by the state of Ohio. It is disappointing and unacceptable that anyone would misrepresent themselves in order to receive a vaccine prematurely. This type of fraud could have serious consequences, including depriving the vaccine from someone who more urgently needs it and subjecting the person who engages in such fraud to civil and criminal consequences. Vaccine distribution in Ohio is based on guidance from the CDC and the Ohio Department of Health, and supplies of the vaccine remain low.”

Johnson did not provide any additional information when The Lantern asked what specific legal consequences a student could face and whether the student could face academic consequences.

When asked whether the state of Ohio is concerned about people scheduling out of order, Dan Tierney, spokesperson for Gov. Mike DeWine, said as the supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine increases in Ohio, the state is primarily concerned with distributing all available vaccines to reduce waste.

The state may remove vaccines from providers who vaccinate those who are ineligible, but Tierney said most providers comply after a warning.

On Dec. 14, 2020, Ohio began vaccinating Phase 1A, which included frontline health care workers; EMS responders; residents, patients and staff of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and veterans homes; and people with developmental disabilities.

Ohio’s Phase 1B began Jan. 19 for people 80 years old and older and was gradually expanded to include people over 65, people with high-risk medical status due to medical conditions, and teachers and staff of K-12 schools who wished to return to work in person.