The Schottenstein Center was chosen as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site for its ample parking space and large concourse. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Lantern File Photo
In partnership with the Ohio State Athletics Department, the Wexner Medical Center will use the Jerome Schottenstein Center as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site for patients over 80 years old starting Jan. 19.
The medical center intends to administer more than 3,000 doses per day for patients over 80 years old who have seen providers at the medical center for at least two years, according to a Friday medical center press release. Patients over 80 are part of Ohio’s vaccination group 1B, which includes people who are 65 and older as well as younger people with severe disorders that make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
Group 1B is prioritized to receive the vaccine because of their increased risk of death from COVID-19, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The vaccination plan at the Schottenstein Center will expand to include other members of Group 1B in the coming weeks, according to the release.
Appointments will be required and information on how to schedule an appointment will be made available to patients during the week of Jan. 11, the release states.
The Schottenstein Center was selected for its ample space, which can ensure mass vaccination while minimizing transmission, Ryan Haley, senior director of ambulatory operations, said in the release.
“The Schottenstein Center site will offer us the opportunity to provide vaccines on a far greater scale than we would be able to in a traditional healthcare setting,” Hayley said.
Generally, students do not fall into the Group 1B vaccine distribution plan but according to the release, the Schottenstein Center will expand later to offer vaccines to the general public.
