CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The state of Ohio should be receiving its first batch of coronavirus vaccine by mid-December, according to Gov. Mike DeWine and the White House administration.
“It can’t come too soon enough,” the governor said during a Tuesday appearance on CBS This Morning while discussing the state’s vaccine distribution plan.
Comments from Gov. DeWine, who previously said the vaccine will first be rolled out to health care workers, first responders, and long-term care facility employees and residents, came as Ohio reported over 5,000 COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals on Monday; the first time the grim threshold was crossed.
The governor expressed confidence about the resources needed to distribute and store the vaccine, but said Ohio is facing a financial shortfall in regards to the rollout plan.
“We’re going to get it out, one way or another,” Gov. DeWine said.
Gov. DeWine also addressed vaccine skeptics, urging those who are hesitant to listen to the medical experts and scientists.
“One of the things that we’ve tried to do is throughout the pandemic, particularly in the last month or so, is to have frontline nurses and doctors talking to people directly across the state,” Gov. DeWine said. “I think they are probably more believable than the governor and other politicians.”
Ten Ohio hospitals have been pre-identified as initial vaccine receiving sites, and Gov. DeWine said additional locations will be provided to the federal government in the coming weeks.
As of Tuesday morning, the Department of Health said 6,429 Ohioans have died from the coronavirus with at least 421,063 cases reported statewide since the start of the pandemic.
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