CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohio will prioritize vaccines for people aged 65 and over, with certain serious developmental disabilities and adults in any school building, including cafeteria staff and other staff, after finishing vaccinations for healthcare professionals and those in care settings collective.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine shared the next steps for the vaccine during his coronavirus briefing on Wednesday. The schedule for these vaccinations has not yet been defined and part of the logistics is not ready yet, but DeWine said he would like to share the news as soon as possible.
The state expects to start this phase in mid-January.
DeWine shared that nearly 87% of deaths in Ohio are among those over 65. It has not yet been decided whether certain age groups within that demographic group will be prioritized for vaccination. Those over 80 years old account for 52.9% of deaths, according to state data.
Those with severe hereditary and developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome or sickle cell, will also be eligible. DeWine did not provide a complete list of deficiencies prioritized on Wednesday.
DeWine placed great emphasis on availability for schools. He said that in conversations with educators and family members, some families are struggling with distance learning and some students who were already late are falling behind. He also said that there have been reports of increased mental health problems and absenteeism.
“I believe it is time to put all of our children who want to be in class back to school,” said DeWine. “These children are our future, these children were injured in some cases because they were not at school”.
Children will not receive the vaccine. These vaccines will be available to adults at any school where employees wish to return or maintain face-to-face learning. Many schools have switched over the holidays to remote learning, whether to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus due to meetings and travel or due to logistics or personnel challenges due to the spread of the community.
DeWine said employees are open to discussing what learning models would receive the vaccine, but the intention is to take students to full-time face-to-face learning.
“They are being promoted because we want our children at school. It is a political decision, ”said DeWine. “This is why this movement is happening, so if the school does not go in person, there is no justification for that. These are all very difficult decisions, but we need to make those decisions. “
About 71% of students in public school districts are not fully in school, DeWine said on Wednesday.
The goal is to get the Ohio children back to learning personally, if the family agrees, by March 1, DeWine said.
“That decision will always be up to the parents,” he said.