The state is pushing forward with more COVID vaccinations with new age groups eligible in the next few weeks, even as some communities are saying the vaccine supply is inconsistent.
Gov. Mike DeWine said 800 pharmacies and other providers have been picked out of over 1,900 for the round of vaccinations that will start next week for people older than 80. Ohioans can look up providers by zip code starting Thursday at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
“Each provider will handle their own scheduling," DeWine said. "It's important to note that the state site will only show what providers have been allocated vaccines. It will not update in real time. So providers may go through all the vaccine they have.”
The state expects 100,000 doses of vaccine next week. There are around 420,000 Ohioans who are older than 80.
Shortages and issues have been reported in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Columbus has said it was close to running out of vaccine, and Hamilton County has said it doesn't have enough vaccine to finish the first group of people who qualify. In Cleveland, Mayor Frank Jackson has said both that more doses are needed and that the city has used only part of the doses that it's received so far.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson says the city has only used 1,767 of the 6,500 COVID-19 vaccine doses it has received thus far. When asked why the rollout has been slow, he says "there is no infrastructure for this." @WCPN— Anna Huntsman (@AnnaHuntsman_) January 12, 2021
But DeWine said the state will still offer the vaccine to Ohioans older than 75 who are eligible starting Jan. 25. People older than 70 are eligible after Feb. 1, and those older than 65 can get shots starting Feb. 8.
Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the vaccine should be made available to anyone older than 65, DeWine has given front-line health care workers and nursing home residents and staff top priority. School employees will join the line next month, with the goal of getting kids back into in-person or hybrid learning by March 1.
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