Regional mass vaccination clinic planned for Maumee

Mar. 5—COLUMBUS — Ohio's first regional long-term mass vaccination sites for coronavirus will open as soon as late March in Maumee, Lima, and nine other locations across Ohio to administer anywhere from 300 to 3,000 doses a day, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday.

In addition, there will be a fixed eight-week site in downtown Cleveland to be run in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the governor said during a news conference at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center.

The Maumee site will be held at the Lucas County Recreation Center, 2901 Key St., while the Lima operation will be at the Knights of Columbus at 810 S. Cable Rd. The respective Lucas and Allen county health departments will run both.

The other, state-run locations will include Dayton, Columbus, Akron, Youngstown, Cincinnati, Marietta, Chillicothe, Wilmington, and Zanesville.

Four mobile clinics are also expected in and around Ada, Athens, Mansfield, and Steubenville. The Ada operation, to be run by Ohio Northern University, will target much of rural northwest and north-central Ohio.

"The whole idea is to make it easier for people and knock down any barriers that might exist," Mr. DeWine said. "We have an obligation that any Ohioan who wants to get a vaccine can get it in their community easily. This is going to be a real community effort."

It's unclear when these regional sites will open. It will be up to the local operators as to whether they are run as traditional clinics or as drive-through operations as seen in some other states.

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"We don't have a timeline yet," DeWine spokesman Jill Del Greco said. "It's going to be based on vaccine supply. We are anticipating increased supply beyond what we're seeing right now toward the end of the month, so we're hoping these could be opening by the end of the month or in early April."

Mr. DeWine said the sites will stay open as long as they are needed.

All will operate in addition to the state's current system of supplying vaccines to about 1,250 local providers like pharmacies, hospitals, and health departments, a process that has led to frustration among many who have been unable to make appointments.

All of the regional sites will be open to anyone currently considered eligible under Ohio's vaccine guidelines. The latest list includes those age 60 and older, people with certain medical conditions, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, pregnant women, child-care providers, and funeral service employees.

Those seeking vaccines at the regional centers will not have to be local residents.

FEMA announced that the state's first major mass vaccination clinic at Cleveland State will start March 17 and continue daily, including weekends, for eight weeks. It is expected to administer 6,000 vaccines a day.

During those weeks, participants would receive their first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

"I am grateful to see FEMA and the Ohio Department of Health working collaboratively to bring vitally needed mass vaccination to Ohioans," U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) said. "Getting shots into people's arms will be one of our greatest hurdles in the coming months, and sites that can handle increased capacity will be invaluable in that effort."

Appointments would be made through Ohio's online scheduling system that has yet to go on line. There will also be options to make appointments by phone or in person.

More details, including hours of operation for the clinic, will be announced later. There will be some emphasis at each location on getting appointments to higher risk and under-served residents.

Mr. DeWine also announced that 50,000 doses will be made available to two temporary, pop-up vaccination sites in Columbus and Cincinnati that will start shortly after the Cleveland State site goes into operation.

As of Friday, 1.87 million Ohioans had received at least the first dose of a coronavirus, representing 16 percent of the state's population.

Since the pandemic's start, the Ohio Department of Health has reported 976,230 coronavirus infections and 17,502 deaths, including 1,750 infections and 752 deaths newly listed on Friday. Case data is updated daily but deaths are reported only a few times per week upon confirmation of death certificates, and the death toll is still being corrected after more than 4,000 coronavirus fatalities were overlooked during the fall.

Friday's new-infection count was below the rolling three-week average of 1,976.

Lucas County reported 49 new infections for a total of 35,505. The number of deaths remained at 727.

First Published March 5, 2021, 1:56pm