COVID-19 Update: Vaccine Equity

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted provided the following updates on Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

EQUITY UPDATE

Governor DeWine today outlined steps that Ohio has taken and will take to address inequities in healthcare as they relate to vaccine accessibility. 

“There are Ohioans who simply do not have equal access to healthcare,” said Governor DeWine. “We have worked hard to address these gaps, especially in our efforts to roll out the vaccine, but there is still more to do.” 

Geography: Instead of offering the “mega vaccination sites” being seen in other states, Ohio’s vaccination plan focuses on ensuring that there are multiple vaccine providers in every county in the state. This week, more than 700 providers across Ohio are receiving the vaccine to help ensure that Ohioans have access to vaccine close to home.  

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): These health centers serve highly vulnerable neighborhoods. Ohio’s vaccination plan offers vaccines at these facilities for equitable distribution. More than 60 of these centers are receiving vaccine this week.   

Pop-up Vaccine Sites: Ohio is working with FQHCs, faith-based communities, and local health departments to pilot pop-up vaccination sites in at-risk communities.  Two sites were hosted at an FQHC in Columbus last week and another pop-up vaccination site is scheduled this week in Cleveland.

Transportation: The Ohio Department of Health is working with the Ohio Department of Medicaid to provide transportation options for those who want to receive the vaccine but face transportation barriers.

Local Health Departments: Many local health departments are prioritizing underserved populations by partnering with organizations that work to serve African American, Hispanic and Latino, and other underserved populations to provide education and offer opportunities for vaccination when vaccine becomes available. For the latest on Meigs County Health Department’s efforts visit https://www.meigs-health.com/

Education and Communication Strategies: In addition to newspaper, television, and radio advertisements focused on reaching underserved populations, Ohio will also launch a series of virtual town hall meetings to gain a better understanding of the barriers to vaccination and develop solutions. The events will be coordinated in partnership with Ohio’s Minority Health Vaccine Advisory Group, whose mission is to help advise the Ohio Department of Health on how to best deliver the vaccine to underserved populations and better ensure equity. The townhalls will be live-streamed during the week of February 22. To learn how to participate in these events, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov. 

Affordable Housing Vaccination Clinics: Next week, the Ohio Department of Aging, in partnership with key state and local organizations, will off­er on-site vaccination clinics at affordable senior housing communities as part of its Regional Rapid Response Program. On-site clinics will be coordinated with support from the Ohio National Guard. 

VACCINATION STATUS UPDATE Governor DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine both received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine this morning from Dr. Kevin Sharrett at Kettering Health Network’s Jamestown office in Greene County. The DeWines became eligible for the vaccine this week as part of the 70 and older age group. Those currently eligible to receive vaccine in Ohio are: Those 70 years of age and older Teachers and school personnel who are necessary for in-person learning in specified counties Individuals with severe congenital, early-onset, or inherited conditions andwith developmental or intellectual disabilitiesIndividuals with severe congenital, early-onset, or inherited conditions and developmental or intellectual disabilities should have been contacted by their local county board of developmental disabilities to schedule their vaccination. If you believe that you or a loved one falls into this category and hasn’t been contacted, please contact your county board of developmental disabilities.

NURSING/ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES

Of Ohio’s 920 skilled nursing facilities, Ohio has administered first doses of vaccine in 100 percent of these facilities. The second dose has been given in 89 percent of facilities.  

Of Ohio’s 645 assisted living facilities, Ohio has administered first doses in 86 percent of these facilities, and second doses have been administered in 48 percent of facilities.

Plans are in place to continue vaccinating in these facilities as new residents move in.

LONG-TERM CARE REVACCINATIONS

Today, Walgreens Pharmacy alerted the Ohio Department of Health that vaccines that had not been stored under the proper cold storage conditions were administered yesterday to some residents in five long-term care facilities. Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, residents who received these vaccines will be revaccinated. 

The impacted facilities are: 

• Ashtabula County Residential Services Corp “The Maples” in Kingsville
• Ashtabula Towers in Ashtabula
• Heather Hill Care Communities in Chardon
• Six Chimneys in Cleveland
• Willow Park Convalescent Home in Cleveland

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION – DATAOHIO

Lt. Governor Jon Husted today announced that the Ohio Department of Education is the latest agency to join the DataOhio portal, with seven key datasets and visualizations added on January 29, 2021

The DataOhio Portal launched in December of 2020 to the public and features more than 200 datasets and over 100 visualizations from four State of Ohio agencies. Nearly half of the datasets added to the portal are available to the public for the first time.

Users can view these newest datasets and visualizations under “Recent Datasets” at Data.Ohio.Gov. The DataOhio Portal team continues to add additional agency datasets, visualizations, and portal features, with a new Agency being announced in the coming weeks, including additional Ohio Department of Education datasets and visualizations. 

CURRENT CASE DATA

In total, there are 902,736 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio and 11,336 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 46,659 people have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic, including 6,730 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov. 

Video of today’s full update, including versions with foreign language translation, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel’s YouTube page. 

For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.