Dates set for school vaccines

SANDUSKY — Ohio school personnel will soon get their COVID-19 vaccinations. In February, staff members in Ohio's public and private schools can begin to receive their first doses. Gov. Mike DeWine agreed to release COVID-19 vaccines to school employees if their districts committed to have some form of in-person learning by March 1. The schedule released on Friday by DeWine shows Huron County school employees getting their first shot during the week of Feb. 8. The following week of Feb. 15, Ottawa County schools will get their first dosage. Schools in Erie and Sandusky counties are scheduled to receive their first vaccines the week of Feb. 22. Dan Tierney, a spokesman for DeWine, told the Columbus Dispatch where each district was placed on the list depended on how many staff and teachers worked there, whether neighboring districts could be vaccinated at the same time and other logistics. Whether a school was already teaching in-person classes wasn't a factor, he said. The goal is to get all school personnel who want the vaccine their first dose in February, DeWine said during a news conference this week. "The vaccine is incredibly scarce, and we simply don't have enough to vaccinate everyone at the same time," DeWine said. "Therefore, this will be a rolling process, just like it has been during other vaccination phases, with a goal of administering all first doses by March 1. This rollout schedule is a heavy logistical lift that aims to ensure the maximum number of people can be vaccinated in the shortest amount of time." Erie County health commissioner Pete Schade said employees at all K-12 schools in the county will be vaccinated at the health department during an upcoming "Saturday or a Sunday, and, three weeks later, they have to come back for the second shot." To inoculate county school employees, the health department has more doses of the vaccine coming. "We have been getting these small amounts, 100 to 400 doses a week," Schade said Friday. "It looks like we are going to get all 1,600 doses for the schools in a week or two." When will your school get vaccines? Huron County, week of Feb. 8 • Bellevue, Celeryville Christian, Immaculate Conception in Bellevue, Kopasetic Christian Academy, Monroeville, New London, Norwalk Catholic, Norwalk City, Sellers Academy, South Central, St. Francis Xavier in Willard, St. Joseph in Monroeville, Valor Academy in Norwalk, Western Reserve, Willard Ottawa County, week of Feb. 15 • Benton-Carroll-Salem, Danbury, Genoa, Port Clinton Immaculate Conception, Port Clinton City and St. Boniface in Oak Harbor. Erie County, week of Feb. 22 • All Saints Academy, Edison, EHOVE Career Center, Firelands Christian Academy in Castalia, Firelands Montessori Academy in Huron, Haugland Learning Center in Sandusky, Huron, Kelleys Island, Margaretta, Monroe Preparatory Academy, North Point Educational Service Center, Perkins, River of Light Academy, Sandusky Central Catholic, Sandusky City, Vermilion St. Mary, Huron St. Peter, Townsend Community School and Vermilion. Sandusky County, week of Feb. 22 • Bishop Hoffman Catholic, St. Joseph Central Catholic High School, Clyde-Green Springs, Fremont, Gibsonburg, Harvest Temple Christian Academy in Clyde, Lakota, Sandusky County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Solomon Lutheran in Woodville, Vanguard-Sentinel Career & Technology Centers and Woodmore. Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood