TOLEDO, Ohio — Hospitals in northwest Ohio will begin receiving shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.
Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center will be the first in the area to receive doses of the vaccine.
The hospital will initially get 975 doses. However, not everyone in the hospital will be able to get the vaccine on the first round.
Employees who work in the intensive care units and emergency departments will be prioritized for this first batch.
Health leaders said that eventually, all employees will be able to receive a shot. Initially, however, it will go to those who are working directly with COVID-19 patients.
St. V's was chosen as the first hospital in northwest Ohio to get the vaccine because of the freezers that are needed to store the shots. The vaccine must be kept extremely cold, around negative -80 degrees, in order to keep it from breaking down. St. V's has those freezers on site.
While the vaccine will not be available to the general public for a number of months, doctors understand the hesitation and doubt many people may have about it. But ultimately, they maintain that it's safe and are confident in receiving it.
“I know that I'm excited to get it. in the positions I work with, I have not heard anyone say they are not excited and looking forward to receiving it as well," Chief Clinical Officer at Mercy Health Dr. Kevin Casey said. "I'm certainly not an expert in this vaccine by any means and I don't know that any of us here are, but I can tell you that in the reports we have read about, all have suggested that it is safe."
As of right now, it’s unclear what time the vaccine shipments will arrive on Tuesday. A ProMedica spokesperson said they will receive their first shipment on December 22. Other local hospitals are still working out when they will be receiving their first doses of the vaccine.