Portage County health workers are expected to receive Pfizer’s vaccine this year

Portage County’s frontline healthcare workers will be among the first in Ohio to receive Covid-19 vaccines when the state begins distribution, which is expected to happen before the new year, said Portage County Health Commissioner Joseph Diorio.

Local hospitals will directly receive a limited shipment of Pfizer’s vaccines followed soon after by a shipment of Moderna’s vaccines, said Portage County Medical Director Mark Arredondo. CVS and Walgreens will distribute vaccines to local congregate care facilities through the federal government. The Portage County Combined General Health District also anticipates a vaccine shipment to ensure all of the county’s most vulnerable populations have access, Diorio said.