COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the state’s hospitals continue to administer the first batch Pfizer-BioNTech shots Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine addressed the state and said Ohioans can expect more than 420,000 vaccine doses to arrive by Christmas. 

The governor confirmed Tuesday the state has received the vaccine shipments it was expecting from Pfizer for the 10 hospitals that were prepositioned to administer shots, totaling 9,750 doses. 

By Tuesday afternoon, nine of those shipments had arrived afternoon at their destination hospital. OhioHealth O’Bleness’ shipment was in transport from OhioHealth Riverside where both shipments for that health system were delivered.

Eight vaccine shipments arrived in Ohio Tuesday morning after Ohio State Wexner and UC Health received the state’s first two shipments Monday. 

The hospitals are immunizing health care workers on their staffs who are in tier 1A and are among the most at-risk within that tier.

At Genesis Health Care System in Zanesville, the 975-dose vaccine shipment arrived around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and shots were administered at 11:45 a.m. 

Hospital officials said about 1,600 of its employees are in tier 1A, but the vaccine is voluntary and some staff members may have scheduling conflicts which could prevent them from getting immunized at this time. The vaccine requires a second shot about 21 days later. 

The Pfizer shipments arrive on dry ice in “shippers.” A receiver at the hospital signs for the shipment just like any package delivered by a logistics company. The vaccine is thawed, diluted, and drawn into syringes from vials containing five doses each.

Kasi Gardner, a registered nurse at Springfield Regional Medical Center, received the shot live, on-camera during the governor’s briefing.

“I just didn't want to inadvertently cause someone else to get it when I can vaccinate myself,” Gardner said. “I'm a strong vaccine advocate and I had to step up."

She said she spoke to her doctor before getting it because she wasn’t 100% sure about the safety of the vaccine given it was developed in record time, but she said that conversation with her physician assuaged her doubts and she encouraged others to talk to their doctors.

As far as shots go, recipients said the Pfizer vaccine was relatively painless. Hospitals administering the vaccine are monitoring recipients for at least 15 minutes on site for any adverse reactions. Upon receiving shots, individuals schedule their return appointment in three weeks and are guided to an app for reporting any side effects to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted watched the vaccine arrive at OhioHealth Riverside while DeWine observed at Mercy Health St. Vincent in Toledo.