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Former Boardman Dillard’s becoming COVID-19 vaccination site next week

By Justin Dennis
(Photo by William D. Lewis)
(Photo by William D. Lewis)

BOARDMAN — The mass vaccination site planned for the former Dillard's store inside Southern Park Mall is set to open next week.

The clinic is set to open Thursday, April 1, according to a release from the health department. Gov. Mike DeWine had previously said the site was set to open Wednesday, March 31.

Mahoning County Public Health is now scheduling appointments for anyone age 18 and older.

To register for the first clinic through the county, use the county's ArmorVax online scheduling system at MahoningHealth.org. Those who need assistance with online scheduling can call the health department at 330-270-2855 and dial option 9.

You can also register through the state's centralized vaccination scheduling portal at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov, start Saturday.

You don't have to be a resident of Mahoning County to sign up. The 11 mass vaccination sites set to open next week across the state are intended to serve their respective regions.

The Boardman site is expected to receive 2,500 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine each week, according to the governor's office. Though Ohio's vaccine eligibility opens next week for those age 16 and older, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is only approved for those age 18 and older.

The only vaccine approved for those 16 and older is the Pfizer vaccine, currently being offered through Mercy Health, said county Health Commissioner Ryan Tekac.

Tekac, speaking to county commissioners Thursday, said he's not sure why the clinic was only allocated the single-dose vaccine, as opposed to two-dose vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer.

The other about 30 providers in the county as well as the City of Youngstown will continue to receive Moderna- and Pfizer-produced vaccines, he said.

Local officials conducted a dry run at the Dillard's site Wednesday, which went "very smooth" though it required some "minor adjustments," Dennis O'Hara, county Emergency Management Agency director told commissioners Thursday.

About 800 people received the vaccine at the mall Wednesday, Tekac said. The department's regular vaccination clinic at the Austintown Senior Center administered more than 700 doses Wednesday, he added.

The department store is one of 11 regional mass vaccination sites set to open next week across the state. According to the governor's spokesperson, others include:

  • The Knights of Columbus in Lima, which is expected to receive 2,500 doses a week.
  • The Lucas County Rec Center, which is expected to receive 5,000 doses a week.
  • The Dayton-Montgomery County Convention Center, which is expected to receive 5,000 doses a week.
  • The Celeste Center in Columbus, which is expected to receive 5,000 doses a week.
  • The Summit County Fairgrounds, which is expected to receive 5,000 doses a week.
  • The Cintas Center in Cincinnati, which is expected to receive 5,000 doses a week.
  • The Wilmington Airpark, which is expected to receive 5,000 doses a week.
  • Adena Medical Education Center in Ross County, which is expected to receive 2,500 doses a week.
  • Wayne Street Medical Campus in Marietta, which is expected to receive 1,500 doses a week.
  • Colony Square Mall in Muskingum County, which is expected to receive 1,500 doses a week.

Tekac on Thursday expressed to commissioners his growing optimism on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think we're on the downside of this at this point. We still have a lot to do, but things are looking up," he said.

This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 3:52 AM with the headline "Former Boardman Dillard’s becoming COVID-19 vaccination site next week."