CLEVELAND — As Ohio prepares to open the state's first mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland, you might be wondering what's involved in the process.
3News' food expert and contributor Doug Trattner was among the first to receive a shot during the "soft opening" of the Wolstein Center's vaccination clinic Tuesday morning. He said the experience was like a Grateful Dead concert because "everybody was so happy, so nice and just so thankful and grateful to be there."
After parking his car across the street, Trattner said his temperature was checked upon arrival for his vaccination appointment. After an official verified the QR code he had been sent, he was ushered to a seat and waited for his shot.
“They all come to you instead of you going to them," Trattner explained. "They just seat row after row and people come up with their trolley. They have all the supplies they need. They ask you a few questions. You roll up your sleeve, they give you a jab, they give you an appointment for your next shot right there on the spot.”
Trattner received the Pfizer vaccine, which is the brand being administered for the first three weeks of the Wolstein Center's operation. He said it took approximately 15 minutes total from the time he parked his vehicle to the time he received the vaccination.
“I understand that today is kind of a ramp-up period, a trial period, but I could tell that things are going to be pretty smooth.”
He became eligible when Gov. DeWine opened vaccine access to those ages 50 and older. Trattner said he "got lucky" when looking for his appointment.
"I took the first spot that I could, the first spot that was available, and that was today at 9 a.m."
The mass vaccination site begins its full process starting Wednesday morning with a goal of vaccinating 6,000 people each day.