SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO—Appointments for Summit County Public Health’s drive-thru mass vaccination site at the Summit County Fairgrounds will open this afternoon at 12 p.m. Appointments must be scheduled on the state’s scheduling portal, https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov/. Individuals needing assistance scheduling an appointment should call 330-926-5795. The Summit County Fairgrounds are located at 1050 North Ave. in Tallmadge.
The appointments opening today are for the Saturday, April 3 clinic. SCPH will have 1,500 appointment slots available from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The fairgrounds mass site will only provide Johnson & Johnson vaccines; this vaccine is a one dose shot and does not require a second dose, and only individuals 18 and over are eligible to receive it. Because this mass vaccination site is sponsored by the state, appointments are open to all Ohio residents. These appointments are separate from SCPH’s vaccine information registry and are scheduled on a first come, first served basis.
SCPH expects to operate clinics at the mass vaccination site 3-4 days per week, depending on dose allocation received from the state. The state’s scheduling portal will only show the fairgrounds site if it has available appointments; individuals should check the portal frequently for available appointments. In addition to the fairgrounds mass site, there are currently 59 other vaccine providers in Summit County. Scheduling information for other providers is available at https://vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Summit County Public Health, METRO RTA and Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro are collaborating to provide multiple transportation options to COVID-19 vaccine appointments at any location, including the fairgrounds. METRO is providing free rides on all fixed route, demand response and Northcoast Express to COVID-19 vaccine appointments with proof of a same day appointment. For appointments at the fairgrounds, the fixed route service will take riders to the transit center near Chapel Hill Mall, where a shuttle will then take them to the fairgrounds. Following the appointment, the shuttle will return riders back to the transit center near Chapel Hill Mall. METRO buses are a safe alternative to getting to appointments. Every METRO bus has hand sanitizer available for riders and is cleaned regularly. Masks are required at all times and the number of riders per bus is limited.
County Executive Ilene Shapiro’s Department of Job and Family Services is conducting outreach to clients to share COVID-19 vaccine and transportation information. All residents receiving Medicaid are eligible for free transportation to and from any COVID-19 vaccine appointment. To register for free transportation, Medicaid recipients should call 330-643-8200. The recipient must register before they can schedule a ride. Once registered, they can call 330-376-5353 to schedule a ride to an appointment. If a resident is a Medicaid Managed Care recipient, they may also contact their Managed Care provider directly to schedule free door-to-door transportation. Contact information for each Managed Care Organization is available at https://www.summitdjfs.org/images/Ohio-Medicaid-COVID-Testing-and-Vaccination-TransportationSupport.pdf.
On Thursday, April 1 at 12 p.m., Summit County Public Health, METRO, and Summit County Emergency Management Agency will hold a virtual COVID-19 mass vaccine site and transportation Q & A session. The event will be live streamed on County Executive Ilene Shapiro’s, SCPH’s and METRO’s Facebook pages. Members of the public and media should ask questions via the Facebook Live chat feature.
