Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health announced the second phase of vaccine distribution last week, with those over the age of 65 and those living with medical issues to be next in line to receive the vaccine.
The state began distributing the vaccine earlier this month. Members of “Phase 1A” of the vaccine distribution schedule included health care workers and personnel, psychiatric hospital patients and staff, people with developmental disabilities, those with mental illness in group living facilities and staff of those locations, Ohio veterans home residents and staff, and EMS responders, ODH said.
It also included members of nursing home facilities and their staff as part of a program sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Members of Phase 1B of the distribution plan include those over the age of 65 and those living with severe congenital, development or early-onset medical disorders, the ODH said.
“Ohioans in the 65 and older category make up just under 87% of COVID deaths,” DeWine said in a statement last week. “This is a stunning number, and it’s critical that we protect our older Ohioans.”
Adults working in Ohio schools will also be able to receive the vaccine. The ODH said it wants to return to in-person learning by March 1.
Ohio originally closed schools for in-person learning in March and announced they would remain closed for the rest of the school year in April.
The state currently has more than 675,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 8,500 deaths, according to data from the ODH. Of the confirmed cases, more than 523,000 are presumed recovered.
The governor said that local health departments and hospitals will be assisting with managing vaccinations as more doses are shipped to the state.
“Ohio’s public health departments and hospitals are experts at managing mass vaccination clinics, and I am thankful we can turn to them to begin vaccinating Ohioans against COVID-19,” DeWine said.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
