Governor DeWine Visits Portsmouth
Yesterday evening shortly before 6:40 p.m. we were informed that in addition to his scheduled appointment in Chillicothe, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine would visit Portsmouth.
During his remarks, Governor Dewine said 15,335 people in Scioto County have received at least their first vaccination shot. He said the Portsmouth City Health Department staff was doing a “phenomenal job”.
Chris Smith, commissioner of public health for the city, reports that we receive between 100 and 500 doses per week. He indicated that he would prefer to have additional doses available. Commissioner Smith expressed gratitude to the additional partners who took part in administering the vaccines.
DeWine added that anyone 16 years of age or older will be able to receive the vaccine starting on March 29th.
When discussing his visits around the state, DeWine said “It’s the only time I’ve seen people happy about people seeing a needle.”
Right now, 21% of the population has been vaccinated. The goal is to increase that number to 80% as quickly as possible.
Governor DeWine closed his comments by saying, “ We’re on Offense with the vaccine but we also need to stay on Defense with masks. The virus is still out there. It’s not going away.”