DeWine: First Vaccines Delivered to Ohio Hospitals

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The first doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine have been delivered to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and UC Medical Center, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday morning.

In a brief Zoom call with media, the governor said each hospital received 975 doses to vaccinate frontline workers. The first vaccines are expected to be administered around 11 a.m.

“This really is the day we’ve been waiting for. This starts the beginning of the end,” he said from in front of Wexner Medical Center. “The good news for Ohioans is that every day we go forward, we’ll see more and more people get vaccinated.”

At the eight other preselected hospitals across the state – chosen because of their ability to store the Pfizer vaccine, which must be stored at -94 degrees Fahrenheit – the vaccines are expected to arrive Tuesday.

Each of the 10 hospitals –Mercy Health-St. Vincent Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, MetroHealth Main Campus, Mercy Health-Springfield Regional Medical Center, Wexner Medical Center, UC Health, OhioHealth-O’Bleness Hospital, Genesis Hospital and Aultman Hospital – will receive 975 doses

Next week, 201,000 vaccines from Moderna will be shipped to the state’s 98 other hospitals and 108 health departments to vaccinate frontline workers. 

In addition Pfizer is set to deliver 123,000 doses to Walgreens and CVS next week to vaccinate residents in long-term care centers.

Initially, in “phase 1A” of the state’s vaccination plan, only residents of such centers and frontline workers – such as hospital staff and first responders – will receive the vaccines.

No timeline has been provided for the next phases of the vaccination plan, which will target “specific critical populations” in Phase Two and the general public in Phases Three and Four.

Gov. DeWine will host a special press conference today at 3 p.m.

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