Gov. Mike DeWine announced that 15 long-term mass vaccination clinics will open throughout Ohio to significantly expand regional access to COVID-19 vaccines.

One of the clinics will be in Cincinnati. The others: Lima, Maumee, Dayton, Columbus, Akron, Youngstown, Chillicothe, Marietta, Wilmington and Zanesville. Four mobile mass vaccination clinics will also make rounds in the areas of northwestern and west-central Ohio. They will begin opening in the coming weeks as supply becomes available and will operate until they are no longer necessary.

Cincinnati also will be a site for one of two pop-up vaccination sites. Gov. DeWine also announced that 50,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be dedicated to pop-up sites in Cincinnati and Columbus. The pop-up clinics will open shortly after the March 17 start date of Cleveland’s mass vaccination site and will offer 12,500 first doses at each location. Those vaccinated during the Columbus and Cincinnati pop-up mass vaccination sites will be guaranteed a second dose. Exact site locations are pending.

The 50,000 vaccine doses for these pop-up mass vaccination clinics were initially required by the federal government to be set aside for use in Ohio’s more than 2,400 long-term care facilities as part of the federal long-term care program. Ohio was one of the first states to begin drawing from the unused long-term care vaccine supply to provide vaccines for the general population. Ohio has already administered nearly 160,000 reallocated doses from the program to the public. A complete list of the selected regional mass vaccination clinic sites and associated local partners can be found at governor.ohio.gov.

The state-sponsored, regional sites and pop-up clinics will be offered in addition to the eight-week mass vaccination clinic to open March 17 at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. “Mass vaccination clinics have always been part of our plan, but adequate supply is necessary for larger sites, so it was crucial that we first established local provider sites in all 88 counties to ensure that every citizen in every community has a provider nearby,” said Gov. DeWine.

“Now that we have more than 1,250 local vaccine providers and a significant increase in vaccine supply expected at the end of March, this is the right time to finalize and prepare to launch these large-scale regional clinics.” The regional mass vaccination clinics, which will begin opening in the coming weeks as supply becomes available, will operate until they are no longer necessary.

The regional mass vaccination sites will be locally operated with support from the Ohio Department of Health and Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Clinics will be equipped to administer between 300 and 3,000 vaccines a day depending on location, supply, and demand. Ohio’s established vaccine providers can also expect to see an increase in their vaccine allotment as supply increases, and vaccine doses may also be allotted to new providers. Any Ohioan who is eligible to receive the vaccine under the Ohio Department of Health’s vaccination plan may be vaccinated at any of Ohio’s mass vaccination clinics.

Ohio will also work closely with the clinics to ensure equitable access for high-risk residents and medically underserved communities that could be disproportionately impacted by the virus. Several appointment-scheduling options will be available, including the use of Ohio’s forthcoming central scheduling system for some sites. The sites are not yet taking reservations, but specific instructions on how to book an appointment will be announced later this month. Dates of operation and hours will vary, but sites will offer both weekday and weekend appointments.

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