AKRON, Ohio — Every day across Ohio, thousands of people are rolling up their sleeves and getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, according to the state health department, about a quarter of Ohioans have received at least their first shot.
In Summit County, a mass vaccination site was supposed to launch Monday, March 29 at the county fairgrounds. They are slated to receive 5,000 doses a week. But the start date to give out the Johnson and Johnson vaccine has been pushed back at least one more week.
"We're going to be running three to four days a week at the fairgrounds with the J&J. But, we will still continue to do our second doses here at the health district," said Donna Skoda, the county's health commissioner.
But Skoda said pushing it back just one more week will give them additional time to set up a more efficient clinic - especially with the one-shot vaccine.
"It makes it much more doable for the person to come and get one, your customer, get one and move on," she said.
Aside from vaccine delays, council members in Akron said Monday during their normal meeting that they're concerned about the location of the mass vaccination clinic. Many said it's much harder for people to get to the fairgrounds versus Chapel Hill - where the mass site was supposed to take place originally.
But Skoda said they're ironing out those details now. The health department is partnering with the county, Metro Transit in Akron and an additional shuttle service to help get people to the site.
"We're anticipating any number of strategies to get individuals there," she said - anything they can do to get the most people vaccinated in the shortest amount of time. "When you have a busload of 20 people, we can vaccinate all 20. They don't even have to get off the bus."
Visit our Vaccinating Ohio page for the latest updates on Ohio's vaccination program, including links to sign up for a vaccine appointment, a map of nearby vaccination sites, a detailed breakdown of the state's current vaccine phase, and continuing local coverage of COVID-19 vaccines in Northeast Ohio.
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