Northeast Ohio COVID Vaccine Locations Open To Public

Ohio has moved into the next phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Before this week, the vaccine wasn’t available to the general public. Officials targeted health professionals, first responders, and people in congregate settings first.

Currently, people over the age of 80 are the only members of the general public eligible to sign up and get the vaccine thru Jan 25.

Where can you get the vaccine?

The Ohio Department of Health has created a  dashboardwhere you can search using your county or zip code to find locations offering the vaccine. You can access the search function below to find a vaccine site near you.

After you locate a vaccine site, you can connect with them to schedule an appointment.

In Cuyahoga County, there are a little over 80 sites with the vaccine. Locations across Ohio include places like hospitals, pharmacies, health care centers, and some local health departments.

Most hospitals are offering vaccines to patients who have doctors in their health systems. There are also pharmacies like Giant Eagle and Marc’s that will be offering the vaccine.

In the next few weeks other people over 65, those with certain medical conditions, and some school employees can also sign up for the vaccine.

Ohio's plan for Phase 1B. [Ohio Department of Health]

Next week, people over 75, and those who have certain medical disorders who also have a developmental or intellectual disability can start getting the shots at these locations. Then, on Feb. 15, anyone with certain severe congenital, early on-set, or developmental conditions, such as Type 1 diabetes and asthma, can receive the shot.

School staff will be able to get the vaccine starting Feb. 1. They will have to sign up through their district, but districts can only get a vaccine supply if they commit to returning to in-person schooling.

Cleveland residents and the vaccine

Anyone who lives in the city limits falls under the Cleveland Department of Public Health’s jurisdiction, not Cuyahoga County's.

Cleveland residents cannot sign up through the county’s website.

Cleveland’s health department is making its own online registration portal soon, but it’s not open right now. So if you’re a Cleveland resident, you can currently use the state portal to find a location near you, or you can wait and go through the Cleveland health department.

Summit County is expecting to receive some 5,700 doses of the vaccine and has about 30 designated vaccine locations.

You can also pre-register to find out information on the county website.

Lake County, to compare, has about 16 vaccination sites, Medina County has 14 sites, and Lorain County has about 21 sites

All of the county health departments have the locations listed on their websites as well.

90-year-old Jether Tiller of Maple Heights received her vaccine from University Hospitals on Tuesday. [University Hospitals]

Challenges

Technology may cause a problem for some people, especially for older residents who may not have a computer or access to a smart phone to register online.

One option to avoid websites altogether is to call your local health department or your doctor. They can point you in the right direction to sign up for the vaccine.

Cuyahoga County is trying to help seniors by working with libraries and senior centers to help them navigate the technology, and some hospitals have contacted their older patients directly.

The rollout is another challenge, and many public health officials and the governor himself have called the process slow.

Cleveland has only used just over 3,000 vaccine doses since Dec. 21, and less than 4 percent of Ohio’s total population has been vaccinated.

Cuyahoga County has a place for people to pre-register on its website but the health board announced it won’t be starting Phase 1B, which targets older residents in the general population, with the rest of the state. County officials said they haven’t gotten through the first group yet which is called 1A.