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| Cincinnati Enquirer
More Ohioans eligible for COVID-19 vaccines
Ohio residents aged 50 and over and those with type 2 diabetes or end-stage kidney disease will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting Thursday, Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday.
– Jessie Balmert
New variant found in Ohio
Ohio has reported its first case of P.1, a new, more infectious variant initially discovered in Brazil.
Ohio has reported 31 cases of the most common variant, B.1.1.7, and one case of P.1, state chief medical officer Dr Bruce Vanderhoff said. “COVID-19 doesn’t give up.”
Vanderhoff said the variants underscore the importance of getting the shot because the vaccines work against the variants. He also encouraged people to wash their hands and wear masks.
– Jessie Balmert
Efforts to address ongoing unemployment fraud
A public-private partnership is working to solve unemployment compensation problems in Ohio.
The main priorities of the group are to strengthen fraud prevention using LexisNexis and Experian, eliminate the backlog of cases and improve the call center to ensure that questions from residents of the ‘Ohio receive a response.
The team will look at third-party vendors, which are widely used, and consolidate the data into a single repository.
– Jessie Balmert
Launch of the planning tool
Ohio launched the long-awaited vaccine planning site, gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.
The site was touted as an alternative to searching multiple websites for available vaccine appointments. The site guides users through a series of questions to determine vaccine eligibility.
As of Monday morning, more than 14,500 appointments were available to book directly via the tool. There are also links to websites for other vaccine vendors, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The site will be used to schedule appointments at mass vaccination sites in Ohio.
Booking an appointment on the site was one of the features presented to vaccine suppliers in early February. The state is paying at least $ 3.6 million for the site.
– Jessie Balmert
Ohio adds 1,254 COVID-19 cases
Ohio added 1,254 new cases of COVID-19 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 statewide, including 16 new intensive care unit admissions.
No deaths were reported on Monday. The state recently switched to death figures reported twice a week instead of daily.
As of Monday, 830 COVID-19 patients were being treated in hospitals in Ohio. Of those, 244 were in the intensive care unit, according to data from the Ohio Hospital Association.
– Jessie Balmert
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COLUMBUS – Ohio launched its centralized COVID-19 vaccine website on Monday.
The long-awaited site, gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov, has been touted as an alternative to searching multiple websites for available vaccine appointments. The site guides users through a series of questions to determine vaccine eligibility.
If eligible, the user is prompted to provide their postal code and receive a list of suppliers with appointment. Users are then directed to the websites of these providers to make appointments.
As of Monday morning, more than 14,500 appointments were available to book directly via the tool. There are also links to websites for other vaccine vendors, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Booking an appointment on the site was one of the features presented to vaccine suppliers 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 at a press conference at 2 p.m. on Monday. The site was ready by mid-February for providers to sign up.
Almost a year after Ohio announced its first case of COVID-19, at least 978,000 infections have been reported in the state.
But there are signs of hope in a year: Vaccinations continue to rise, especially after the recent approval of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine. As of Monday, nearly 2 million Ohioans, or 17.1% of the state’s population, had received their first dose.
This month, Ohio will launch 16 mass immunization clinics statewide to increase accessibility to the vaccine. The first location will be in Cleveland with the help of federal officials.
Ohio is expected to receive 258,010 first doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. Johnson & Johnson’s figures were not immediately available, according to data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DeWine announced Thursday that if new COVID-19 cases fall below 50 per 100,000 residents over two weeks, it will lift all remaining restrictions, including the state’s mask mandate.
Some lawmakers want this to happen sooner. The governors of Texas, Mississippi and elsewhere have announced an end to their states’ mask requirements.
Senate Bill 22, which was passed by the Ohio Senate and is awaiting House approval, would limit the length of time that DeWine’s administration could impose emergencies and health orders without input from officials. legislators.
Ohio bureau chief Jackie Borchardt contributed.
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