CLEVELAND — Governor Mike DeWine and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have announced that Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center will be the site of a COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic starting on March 17.
According to DeWine, the eight-week mass vaccination clinic will have the capacity to administer 6,000 COVID-19 vaccines a day. The location was recommended by the state and selected by FEMA based on its proximity to a large number of Ohio’s high-risk citizens and medically underserved populations. Approximately 1.1 million Ohioans ages 60 and older live in northeast Ohio, and of the more than 25,000 total Ohioans who live within one mile of the site, nearly 45 percent live below the poverty level.
The Wolstein Center Mass Vaccination Clinic will operate seven days a week and will offer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine during the first three weeks of operations. Those vaccinated during that timeframe will be guaranteed a second dose during the fourth, fifth and sixth weeks of the clinic. The brand of vaccine that will be supplied during the final two weeks of the clinic has not yet been determined.
“Now that the supply of vaccine is significantly increasing, this is the perfect time for a large-scale clinic in Ohio to bolster our work to get shots in arms quickly, efficiently, and equitably. We welcome FEMA to Ohio and are grateful for their support and the support of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Cleveland State University as we continue down the road to recovery,” said DeWine. “Ohio has held several successful mass vaccination clinics, but this long-term clinic will reach the most people yet – particularly those in Ohio’s most vulnerable populations and those who face barriers in accessing health care. In addition to this new northeast Ohio site, we remain committed to ensuring that, no matter where you live, a vaccine provider is located nearby, and we’re strengthening that commitment by also launching several new state-sponsored mass vaccination sites in other areas of the state.”
15 regional, state-sponsored, mass vaccination sites will open later this month. They will be located in Akron, Youngstown, Lima, Maumee, Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, Chillicothe, Marietta, Wilmington, and Zanesville. Four mobile mass vaccination clinics will also take place in the areas of northwestern and west-central Ohio (Ada), southeastern Ohio (Athens), north-central Ohio (Mansfield), and east-central Ohio (Steubenville).
DeWine says the regional sites will operate until they are no longer necessary.
During Friday's briefing, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish announced that the county will work to provide free bus passes through RTA and subsidize ride share services for people who call 2-1-1 and request transportation to the Wolstein Center for their vaccination appointment. Other forms of transportation will also be provided through the Senior Transportation Center and local churches.
The clinic is opening through support from the Biden administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Ohio Department of Health, Ohio National Guard, and Ohio Emergency Management Agency will manage the Wolstein Center site with support from FEMA, the U.S. Department of Defense, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Cleveland State University.
You can watch DeWine's Wolstein Center briefing in the player below:
Earlier on Friday, DeWine made a stop at The Salvation Army of East Cleveland's COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
“We’re getting back to where we need to go, but we have to continue to stay focused," Gov. DeWine said. "As this goes on, we have to continue to wear the masks. We have to make sure that everyone who wants it has the opportunity to get the vaccine."
You can watch his visit to East Cleveland below:
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