WILMINGTON — Gov. Mike DeWine toured the Ohio Mass Vaccination Site at the Wilmington Air Park and talked with staff, volunteers, and people receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations Saturday morning.
“I felt that this would be a great site because of its location not far from the interstate, close to Dayton, not far from Columbus, close to Cincinnati and everything in-between,” DeWine told local officials and media afterward. “As I walked around it was very interesting — we had people from Wilmington, people from the Cincinnati area, from West Chester, and we had people from Columbus, so this is working out very well.”
DeWine added that Kroger Health, which is administering the clinic and the vaccinations, “has done a phenomenal job.”
Kroger Health administered about 2,500 vaccinations over a three-day period at the site. Kroger also continues to offer vaccinations at their stores/pharmacies.
As of Friday, over 3,571,000 Ohioans had received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, so “today we’ll go over 3.6 million Ohioans that have gotten their first shot,” DeWine said Saturday.
“This is the 21st stop [at a vaccination clinic] that I’ve had. Every place we go is really exciting. Getting the shot is an opportunity to get back to normal.”
Wilmington Mayor John Stanforth spoke to the News Journal about the site on Saturday.
“It’s an absolute blessing,” said Stanforth. “They’re doing an outstanding job here; hat’s off to [Kroger Health] for doing this.
“I’m so pleased our citizens are being proactive and getting their vaccinations; it’s just something we all have to do and I’m very proud of our community. We have to get to where those cases are reduced to the levels the governor is after.
”That’s our goal, to get back to normal,” Stanforth added.
Clinton County Board of Commissioners President Mike McCarty said, “I’m very excited. I commend everyone who put this together; it takes a lot of teamwork and collaboration and I’m glad for our region. It’s always great to see how Clinton County can come together. And it’s great that people from our neighboring counties can come here and get their vaccination.”
”This is one more testament to Clinton County,” said Clinton County Port Authority Executive Director Dan Evers. “It was a multi-jurisdictional lift to get this site here — from local, county and regional to the state level.
“And nothing happens without ATSG really driving this process and contributing time, money and expertise,” said Evers. “From the Port Authority perspective, we’re thrilled to play a small part in a big initiative that’s going to make a difference for our community as well as the entire region.
ATSG President and CEO Rich Corrado said, “We think it’s awesome to bring this vaccination site to a rural area like Clinton County. We do have an airport facility here and over 1,600 employees, as well as other folks in the park, so we can jump-start this site with a lot of vaccinations.
“It’s a tribute to the governor’s office and the county and the Port Authority to bring this site here.
Clinton County Health Commissioner Pamela Walker-Bauer told DeWine, “Governor, thank you for bringing one of these sites to our community. I appreciate the extra support from my health district as well as everyone that is here.”
She said the Clinton County Health District continues to administer vaccinations to Clinton Countians, which all contributes to Clinton County dropping from the state’s Level 3 (red) to Level 1 (yellow, the best) during the week.
Mayor Stanforth — addressing DeWine as well as the public, added “Governor, you and I are about the same age. We remember polio. We remember smallpox. Those aren’t issues anymore.
“Please, get the vaccine.“
How to get your shot
The site began operations Thursday at 1199 Airborne Road, offering the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine at no cost by appointment only.
This week the site will be operating 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, April 7 through Saturday, April 10 — appointments are now available beginning Thursday, April 8.
This large-scale clinic will run for about 60 days or until vaccine delivery for the region is complete.
All Ohioans age 16 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Kroger Health will administer approximately 3,000 vaccines at the site weekly.
To book an appointment, visit https://www.kroger.com/rx/covid-eligibility or call toll-free 866-211-5320.
The site is in partnership with Clinton County Port Authority, Clinton County Commissioners, Clinton County Health District, Emergency Management Agency, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Ohio Public Health Region, Kroger Health, the Ohio Department of Health and The Health Collaborative.
