MAUMEE, Ohio — A COVID-19 mass vaccination site is set to open in Maumee by the end of the month, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday.
The long-term site, located at the Lucas County Recreation Center, will be just one out of 11 in the state, including locations in:
- Lima
- Maumee
- Dayton
- Columbus
- Akron
- Youngstown
- Cincinnati
- Chillicothe
- Wilmington
- Marietta
- Zanesville
In addition to the permanent sites, DeWine said four mobile vaccination options, based out of:
- Ada, which will cover northwest and west-central Ohio
- Athens, which will cover southeast Ohio
- Mansfield, which will cover north-central Ohio
- Steubenville, which will cover east-central Ohio
These state-sponsored, regional sites will be offered in addition to an eight-week mass vaccination clinic at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center starting March 17, which DeWine announced shortly before Friday's briefing.
“Mass vaccination clinics have always been part of our plan, but adequate supply is necessary for larger sites, so it was crucial that we first established local provider sites in all 88 counties to ensure that every citizen in every community has a provider nearby,” DeWine said. “Now that we have more than 1,250 local vaccine providers and a significant increase in vaccine supply expected at the end of March, this is the right time to finalize and prepare to launch these large-scale regional clinics."
The long-term vaccination clinics will be available until they are no longer necessary. They will be locally-operated with support from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and Ohio Emergency Management Agency (OEMA).
Clinics will be equipped to give out somewhere between 300 and 3,000 doses per day, depending on location, supply and demand. Ohio’s current vaccine providers can also expect to see an increase in vaccine shipments as supply continues to increase, and new providers may be added.
Any Ohioan who is eligible to receive the vaccine can get their shot at any of Ohio's mass vaccination clinics. DeWine promised the state would work closely with clinics to ensure equitable access for high-risk individuals and medically-underserved communities that could be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Several appointment-scheduling options will be available, including, for some sites, the use of Ohio’s central scheduling system, although that tool is not yet available.
The sites are not taking reservations just yet, but specific instructions on how to book an appointment will be announced later this month. Dates of operation and hours will vary, but sites are expected to offer both weekday and weekend appointments.
DeWine also announced Friday that 50,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine would be dedicated to two pop-up mass vaccination sites in Columbus and Cincinnati, although exact locations have not yet been announced.
The pop-up clinics will open shortly after Cleveland’s mass vaccination site begins, offering 12,500 first doses at each location. Those vaccinated during the Columbus and Cincinnati pop-up mass vaccination sites will be guaranteed a second dose.
The 50,000 vaccine doses for these pop-up mass vaccination clinics were pulled from the state's reserve, which they were initially required by the federal government to set aside for long-term care facilities. Ohio was one of the first states to begin drawing from the unused long-term care vaccine supply to administer doses for the general population.
Ohio has already given out nearly 160,000 reallocated doses from the program to the public.
A complete list of the selected regional mass vaccination clinic sites and associated local partners can be found online here.
For more information on Ohio’s vaccination plan, click here.
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