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Gov. DeWine reveals plans for centralized COVID-19 vaccine scheduling system

By WHIO Staff
By WHIO Staff

Gov. Mike DeWine announced additional details on the state’s ongoing preparations to rollout a centralized scheduling system for COVID-19 vaccines. The announcement was made during his briefing Tuesday afternoon.

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The following announcements have been made:

  • Due to severe weather across Ohio and the country, vaccine shipments coming to providers directly from Pfizer and Moderna could be delayed by 1-2 days, Gov. Mike DeWine said. Smaller shipments from the state’s warehouse are being delivered on a 2-hour delay.
  • The state announced a series of virtual conversations to discuss the COVID-19 vaccines. On Feb. 22 it will focus on the African American population. On Feb. 23 it will focus on the Latino population. On Mar. 1 it will focus on Asian American, Pacific Islander population. These will be carried live on Facebook and shared on coronavirus.ohio.gov.
  • At the start of January, 47 percent of the state’s school districts were fully remote. That number is down to less than 15 percent today, DeWine said, adding that he expects that number to go down more later this week.

CENTRALIZED SCHEDULING SYSTEM:

  • The state has completed the first phase of creating a centralized scheduling system for COVID-19 vaccinations in the state. “The site has been developed and is functional and ready from a technical standpoint,” DeWine said.
  • The second phase will be to get healthcare providers, including health departments, pharmacies and other health care centers, registered and participating in the state’s system. DeWine anticipates this will take two to three weeks. “Once most participating providers signed up, our third phase will be to make the site live to those seeking to be vaccinated,” DeWine said.
  • The program, when launched, will provide appointment availability for COVID-19 vaccinations within 20 miles of their zip code.
  • The state also will partner with the Area Agencies on Aging to assist those who may not have access to the internet.
  • A launch date for the centralized scheduling system has not been announced.

Cox Media Group

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