Ohio should start to see the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines by mid-December, according to an announcement from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday.
DeWine said during a press conference on Tuesday that the vaccine will be delivered to Ohio around December 15.
“And we’re very excited about that — we’re in the process of, you know, planning, how that will get out,” DeWine said, according to News5Cleveland. “It will come out to us in different batches from then on. And we will be getting it out. So we’ll have more information about that as we get closer. But we have a date that looks pretty definite, pretty certain, we hope.”
Although it currently unclear how many doses of the vaccine will be available, DeWine has previously said the Trump administration has said Ohio will receive 30,000 doses in the first batch, the outlet said.
Good news:
October unemployment is down to 5.6% for October.
Our regional representatives are reporting that they're now observing 90% mask-wearing compliance.
Around Dec. 15, we're expecting our first batch of vaccine.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) November 24, 2020
News5Cleveland reports that the first vaccines will go to those who are most at-risk from the coronavirus, including those who work in long-term care facilities, high-risk health care workers and first responders.
“This will take a while. This will take a number of months to get done,” DeWine said. “But for the first time, we now have great confidence that this vaccine is here. It’s going to be used and it’s going to take us out of this great tragedy. But, but we have a few months to go.”
The vaccine will be administered at 10 different sites around the state, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Ohio has seen an upswing in cases and hospitalizations from the coronavirus, reporting 282 new hospitalizations on Monday. The state also saw a jump in confirmed cases, which the governor said was caused by a delay in lab testing.
“On Thursday, Ohio hospitals had more than 3,800 COVID-19 patients, which was the highest patient count we had seen so far. Today, we are reporting 4,358 COVID-19 hospitalized patients,” DeWine said in a Monday statement. “The virus is quickly spreading throughout our entire state and is dramatically impacting all of our healthcare zones and their ability to care for patients.”
DeWine said on Tuesday that Ohio residents should continue to remain vigilant in protecting themselves against the virus.
“This will take a while. This will take a number of months to get done,” DeWine said, according to News5Cleveland. “But for the first time, we now have great confidence that this vaccine is here. It’s going to be used, and it’s going to take us out of this great tragedy. But, but we have a few months to go.”
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
