COLUMBUS – Governor Mike DeWine says that as coronavirus cases in Ohio continue to slowly decline, he can’t yet predict when remaining health orders might be lifted.
Newly released state Health Department figures indicate that Ohio has dropped to 144 cases per 100,000 people as of Thursday. When Ohio reaches 50 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks, DeWine has promised the orders would be rescinded.
DeWine acknowledged concerns on Thursday that the state’s vaccine supply could exceed the number of residents willing to receive doses with hundreds of thousands of vaccines flowing into Ohio and a continuous increase of mass sites to administer them.
About 21% of Ohio residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Another 1.6 million people became eligible to receive vaccines Friday when those age 40 and older and people with cancer, COPD, obesity and other medical conditions would be able to get the shots.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, in his mid-40’s, planned to get his COVID-19 vaccine on Friday at the vaccine clinic being run by Columbus Public Health at the Ohio Expo Center.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was expected to administer its 100,000th vaccine on Friday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The hospital was the leading vaccine provider in Franklin County.
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Starting Monday, March 22, the Center for Disability Empowerment, based in Columbus, will assist people with disabilities living in Franklin, Delaware, Licking and Union counties to schedule vaccination appointments.
Those who lack transportation to and from their appointments will also learn about transportation options in their counties and can receive assistance in arranging transportation to and from their appointments. Call 614-575-8055 or send a message via the organization’s website. www.disabilityempowerment.net.
New health data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health shows declining rates of COVID-19 exposure and spread in ten counties.
Six counties dropping from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2 on the state’s Public Health Advisory System (see above): Ashtabula, Carroll, Fayette, Jackson, Morrow, and Tuscarawas.
Auglaize, Mercer, Shelby and Vinton counties were upgraded to Level 1.
The state reported 2,104 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the total number of Ohioans infected by the virus during the pandemic to 995,785.
There were 156 additional hospital admissions. A total of 859 Ohioans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday.