COLUMBUS – Ohioans younger than 65 years of age, who have been waiting to find out when they will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, will have to wait a little longer – or a lot longer.
“It’s a matter for weeks, and whether that’s three weeks, four weeks, I don’t think we know at this point,” Gov. Mike DeWine said during a coronavirus briefing Monday.
DeWine says, because 87% of the deaths from COVID-19 in Ohio have come among those ages 65 and older, those are the only Ohioans currently eligible, along with individuals with certain underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk for serious illness or death.
Additional groups will be added to the list but DeWine says there is no way to know exactly when.
“The way we’re going to know is when people 65 years of age and older have been able to get their vaccine,” he said.
Once the demand for the vaccine has been met for that age group, Ohioans 60 and older will become eligible, then those 55 and older, followed by those ages 50 and up.
Currently 829,249 individuals 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine. That includes about 60% of Ohioans age 80 and older, about half of those between 75 and 79 but less that 38% of those between the ages of 65 and 75.
A total of 1.4 million Ohioans have received the first dose of the vaccine, about 12.4% of the state’s total population, and 675,105 have completed the vaccine regimen.
Franklin County Public Health is offering initial vaccine doses at three clinics by appointment only to those 65 years of age and older and those with severe congenital, developmental or early onset disorder.
The clinics are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by appointment only at 1700 Morse Road. Visit the agency’s website at bit.ly/vax2normal to schedule an appointment.
Columbus Public Health has scheduled a free Vaccine Opportunity Clinic Friday, Feb. 26, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at 240 Parsons Avenue.
Participants must be 65 years or older or have a qualifying medical condition or live in the following zip codes: 43203, 43204, 43205, 43206, 43207, 43211, 43219, 43222, 43223, 43224, 43227, 43229, 43232
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DeWine also says nursing homes may soon be allowed to offer more visitation.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio’s nursing homes has dropped significantly to 343 new cases last week compared to the peak of 2,832 new cases in December.
DeWine held his briefing on Monday instead of Tuesday due to a busy legislative calendar at the Statehouse on Tuesday.
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The state on Monday reported 1,611 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the total number of Ohioans who have been diagnosed with the disease to 955,378 with 16,874 deaths, including 58 newly reported fatalities.
There were 120 additional hospital admissions, bringing the total number during the pandemic to 49,492. There were 1,374 patients in Ohio hospitals, occupying 5% of the state’s beds.
The number of active cases fell to 48,545 and the seven-day positivity rate dropped to 4%.