OHIO — The state will open its largest mass COVID-19 vaccination site in Cleveland this month with the capacity for 6,000 shots per day, officials announced Friday.
The clinic will be staged for eight weeks at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center downtown, according to state officials.
The announcement Friday morning said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing resources in support of the large undertaking, which launches March 17.
“The location was recommended by Ohio and selected by FEMA based on its proximity to a large number of Ohio’s high-risk citizens and medically underserved populations. Approximately 1.1 million Ohioans ages 60 and older live in northeast Ohio, and of the more than 25,000 total Ohioans who live within one mile of the site, nearly 45% live below the poverty level,” according to a release from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s office.
The doses for this federally-supported project will not be deducted from Ohio’s weekly allotment, officials said. To start, the clinic will be administering Pfizer-BioNTech shots.
“Ohio has held several successful mass vaccination clinics, but this long-term clinic will reach the most people yet, particularly those in Ohio’s most vulnerable populations and those who face barriers in accessing health care. In addition to this new northeast Ohio site, we remain committed to ensuring that, no matter where you live, a vaccine provider is located nearby, and we’re strengthening that commitment by also launching several new state-sponsored mass vaccination sites in other areas of the state,” DeWine said.
The White House said doses will be allocated directly to the clinic from the federal government.
“During this pilot period, the federal government will provide limited direct allocation to the site through FEMA as it does through federal entities for other federal programs,” a statement said.
The governor will discuss the news at an on-site briefing with reporters at 1 p.m. Friday.
Officials hope the location of the clinic will boost vaccination rates among “high-risk and underserved citizens in northeast Ohio.”
The site will be open seven days per week; hours have yet to be finalized.
The clinic is supported by the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio National Guard, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, with additional support from the Department of Defense, the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and Cleveland State University.