To make the vaccine available to everyone, the governor takes a different approach than other states
by: Stan Boney
Posted: Feb 2, 2021 / 9:59 AM EST
Updated: February 2, 2021 / 11:49 PM EST
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine used his coronavirus briefing Tuesday to focus on vaccinations and ensure that everyone, poor or rich, can get one when they want one.
The governor himself was vaccinated along with his wife Fran on Tuesday morning. Both meet the guidelines for people over 70. DeWine had announced that it would not be vaccinated until it was his turn, and people over 70 were eligible this week.
Coronavirus in Ohio Tuesday Update: More than 900,000 cases are now reported
To make the vaccine available to everyone, the governor takes a different approach than other states. He tries to avoid crowds, going to big places, and he also looks for elderly people who live in big senior centers and don’t have a car.
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“The pandemic has revealed significant inequalities in our health system,” DeWine said.
To ensure inequalities are not part of the vaccination process, DeWine plans to open pop-up vaccination clinics in the 700 mostly urban senior centers in Ohio, including the centers in Youngstown.
“I just had a call to the governor and we were talking about how we would get to the convention environments, the most vulnerable,” said Tito Brown, Mayor of Youngstown. “We’re going to set up clinics in these places, and the National Guard will actually help us.”
DeWine said they will target places like apartments that are 150-200 people.
“We will be honest with those who have a large minority population,” he said.
Staff at St. Christine School in Youngstown received vaccines on Monday. They were provided by the city health department, one of 700 providers in Ohio. The governor prefers these types of attitudes.
“It would have been a lot easier to go to some mega sites. We have decided that we want to have these in every county, in every community, people have to have access. ”
Here is Ohio from Tuesday:
- Nationwide, 7.6 percent of the population were vaccinated.
- Mahoning County is a whole percentage point higher at 8.7 percent
- Trumbull County is 7.3 percent
- Columbiana County is 7 percent
Youngstown health commissioner Erin Bishop said the city has already vaccinated seniors in large settings. She says on Saturday that they will be in all three of YMHA Senior Housing Centers in Youngstown.
