Ohio governor, first lady visit vaccination clinic at Chillicothe campus

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine visited the Ross County Health District COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at the OHIO Chillicothe Shoemaker Center on Wednesday, March 17.

Gov. DeWine was upbeat and hopeful in his outlook for summer. But, he continued to stress the importance of getting the vaccine, wearing masks, and social distancing.

“You’re going to see county fairs - the Ross County Fair will be occurring, you're going to see people at baseball games and family reunions,” DeWine said. “Memorial Day will be a lot different than it was last year. Fourth of July will be a lot different, so I’m looking forward to a very good summer. The guidance now is basically, you can do about anything, but wear a mask...we expect that if people continue to get vaccinated and the variants don't flare up and cause huge problems, we think things will be a lot better in May, June, July.”

According to the COVID-19 vaccinations reported to Ohio Department of Health, Ross County has administered approximately 15,049 shots up through the week of March 8. Gov. DeWine helped establish a goal that would lift all health orders throughout the state once new cases drop to 50 or below per 100,000 people for two weeks.

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Garrett Guillozet, Ross County Health Commissioner, was in attendance and answered questions pertaining to the availability of vaccines for people 16 and older.

“We’ve seen an increase in vaccine coming here locally, and we have several providers in Ross County, not just here at the health district,” Guillozet said. “So, I would not foresee an issue where somebody eligible for the vaccine would be able to get it through June or July. I think it’s going to be much earlier than that.”

Fran DeWine passed out homemade buckeyes to patients and offered encouraging words to those in attendance.

The Shoemaker Center has served as a vaccine site since the beginning of February.

“OHIO Chillicothe has enjoyed working in partnership with the Health District to make getting vaccinations safe, easy, and convenient,” Chillicothe campus Dean of Campus and Community Relations Roberta Milliken said. “We are always eager to do what we can to help the community.”