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State To Release Online Tool For Next Phase Of Vaccination

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio)
Office of Gov. Mike DeWine
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio)

The next shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to Ohio will fall well below how much is needed to immunize the next eligible group. The next shipment would only cover less than 25% of the recipients that qualify for the next phase.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says the state faces different challenges with 2.2 million people in Group 1B, including short notice on when the vaccines will arrive and a low supply. 

About 100,000 doses are on the way to begin vaccinating the more than 420,000 Ohioans who are 80 years and older.

Watch: DeWine discusses next phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution

"We hope the production there goes up. We also hope there are more streams that are coming in in the near in the near future. But as of today, we have to deal like all states. We have to deal with this scarcity," says DeWine. 

Some counties have already reported they’re running low on vaccines. The state will have an online tool allowing people to look up where they can get the vaccine, but scheduling for one will depend on the provider. 

That tool will be made available at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 15 at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.