| Cincinnati Enquirer
More Ohioans eligible for COVID-19 vaccines
Ohio residents 50 and older and those with type 2 diabetes or end-stage kidney disease will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Thursday, Governor Mike DeWine announced on Monday.
– Jessie Balmert
New variant found in Ohio
Ohio reported its first case of P.1, a new, more infectious variant found initially in Brazil.
Ohio reported 31 cases of the most prevalent variant, B.1.1.7 and one case of P.1, said the state’s medical director, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. “COVID-19 is not giving up.”
Vanderhoff said the variants underscore the importance of getting vaccinated because vaccines work against the variants. He also encouraged people to wash their hands and wear masks.
– Jessie Balmert
Scheduling tool assets
Ohio launched the long-awaited vaccine programming website, gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.
The site was advertised as an alternative to searching various sites for available vaccine appointments. The site guides users through a series of questions to determine the vaccine’s eligibility.
As of Monday morning, more than 14,500 appointments were available for appointment directly through the tool. There are also links to websites of other vaccine providers, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The site will be used to schedule appointments at Ohio mass vaccination sites.
Scheduling an appointment on the website was one of the resources announced to vaccine providers in early February. The state is paying at least $ 3.6 million for the site.
– Jessie Balmert
Ohio adds 1,254 COVID-19 boxes
Ohio added 1,254 new COVID-19 cases between Sunday and Monday, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health.
This number is lower than the 21-day average of 1,831 new cases per day. In the past 24 hours, Ohio has added 84 COVID-19 patients to hospitals across the state, including 16 new admissions to intensive care units.
No deaths were reported on Monday. The state recently changed to reported mortality figures twice a week instead of daily.
As of Monday, 830 patients with COVID-19 were being treated in Ohio hospitals. Of these, 244 were in the intensive care unit, according to data from the Ohio Hospital Association.
– Jessie Balmert
Previous story:
COLUMBUS – Ohio launched its centralized state vaccine website COVID-19 on Monday.
The long-awaited website, gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov, has been advertised as an alternative to researching various sites for available vaccine appointments. The site guides users through a series of questions to determine the vaccine’s eligibility.
If eligible, the user is asked to provide their zip code and a list of providers with commitments. Users are then directed to these providers’ websites to schedule appointments.
As of Monday morning, more than 14,500 appointments were available for appointment directly through the tool. There are also links to websites of other vaccine providers, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Scheduling an appointment on the website was one of the resources announced to vaccine providers in early February. The state is paying at least $ 3.6 million for the site.
Governor Mike DeWine is expected to speak about the new tool during a 2 pm news conference on Monday. The site was ready in mid-February for providers to sign up.
Almost a year after Ohio announced its first case of COVID-19, at least 978,000 infections were reported in the state.
But there are signs of hope a year from now: vaccinations continue to grow, especially after the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine was recently approved. On Monday, nearly 2 million Ohioans, 17.1% of the state’s population, had received their first dose.
This month, Ohio will launch 16 mass vaccination clinics across the state to increase access to the vaccine. The first location will be in Cleveland, with the help of federal authorities.
Ohio is scheduled to receive 258,010 first doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. The Johnson & Johnson numbers were not immediately available, according to data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
DeWine announced on Thursday that if the new COVID-19 cases fell below 50 per 100,000 residents for two weeks, he would lift all remaining restrictions, including the state’s mask mandate.
Some lawmakers want this to happen earlier. Governors in Texas, Mississippi and elsewhere have announced the end of their states’ masking requirements.
Senate Bill 22, which passed the Ohio Senate and is awaiting House approval, would restrict how long the DeWine administration could enforce emergencies and health orders without lawmakers’ input.
Ohio office chief Jackie Borchardt contributed.