3,500+ Medina County school workers expected to receive COVID-19 vaccines Thursday

MEDINA, Ohio — More than 3,500 school employees who work in districts throughout Medina County will be given their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Thursday. The vaccination effort, which will be handled by Discount Drug Mart pharmacists, is being done in coordination with the Ohio Department of Health to administer vaccines to K-12 school staff.

RELATED: COVID-19 vaccines in Ohio: How you can make an appointment at a store near you

The one-day event will take place at Medina High School and Brunswick High School starting at 7 a.m., both of which are closed Thursday to accommodate the vaccinations. The vaccinations will be given as follows:

• Medina High School will host staff and educators from Around the Sun Montessori, Black River, Cloverleaf, Medina, MCCC, Northside Christian Academy, Sacred Heart of Jesus, The Nurtury, Wadsworth.
• Brunswick High School will host staff and educators from Brunswick, Buckeye, Highland, Medina Christian Academy, Medina County ESC, Saint Ambrose, Saint Francis Xavier.

RELATED: See how many people have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in Ohio and across the country: Interactive map

“This is a remarkable opportunity and responsibility and we truly feel the sense of pride and community in this collaborative effort with leaders from the state, the Medina County Health Department, the Medina County ESC and all school systems within,” says Jason Briscoe, Director of Pharmacy Operations at Discount Drug Mart.

Briscoe held a press conference Thursday morning to address the school vaccination process, which you can watch in full in the player below:

Ohio opened vaccination eligibility to K-12 employees on Monday in addition to residents ages 70 and older.

"The goal is to maximize the capacity of local vaccination partners,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said last week. “We have a limited supply of vaccine. We have pulled vaccine from our statewide allocation specifically for vaccinating our K-12 staff. There just isn’t enough to do every school in the first week. We must be able to also vaccinate older Ohioans in February."

MORE VACCINE COVERAGE:

• RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine in Northeast Ohio: Here's where to find information on providers near you
• RELATED: How to find a COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio near you
• RELATED: Hundreds of residents of 5 area nursing homes to be revaccinated for COVID-19 after Gov. DeWine said Walgreens may have improperly stored vaccines

SUBSCRIBE: Get the day's top headlines sent to your inbox each weekday morning with the free 3News to GO! newsletter