CLEVELAND — While the overwhelming majority of Cuyahoga County residents over the age of 60 have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the majority of young adults ages 18-39 have not received a dose.
According to figures released by Cuyahoga County Board of Health officials on Friday, one-eighth the number of vaccines were administered this week compared to six weeks ago.
When the state of Ohio made the COVID-19 vaccine available for all adults on March 29, as many as 12,000 people per day were getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Cuyahoga County. The number has now dropped below 1,500 per day, officials said Friday.
Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish encouraged county residents to get a COVID-19 vaccine for Mother’s Day.
“To anyone who is still thinking about what to give mom for Mother’s Day, how about a vaccine?” Budish said. “A vaccine for her, her children, her grandchildren and other family members. The pandemic is still raging. People are still getting sick and dying.”
As of Friday, 37.4% of Cuyahoga County residents ages 20-29 have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of people 20-29, 28.3% are considered fully vaccinated.
According to Cuyahoga County Board of Health epidemiologist Jana Rush, the highest number of COVID-19 cases is among county residents ages 20-29. She added that cases in the western part of the county have started to increase while the rest of the county has decreased.
Rush said 58 people in Cuyahoga County have been hospitalized with COVID-19 in the past week, with 60% of those cases among those ages 60 and older.
Of county residents ages 30-39, 46.2% have had at least one dose of the vaccine, while 36% of those in their 30s are fully vaccinated.
Unlike six weeks ago when demand was high for the vaccine, doses can be obtained throughout the county on a walk-in basis, including at the Wolstein Center mass vaccination site located on Cleveland State’s campus. The Wolstein Center will begin offering Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot coronavirus vaccine starting Tuesday, the state of Ohio announced earlier this week.
A number of CVS and Walgreens pharmacies throughout the county are also open to walk-in appointments.
“A vaccine that was once scarce is now available in over 136 locations all over the county,” said Terry Allan, Cuyahoga County Board of Health commissioner. “It is now easier than ever to get that shot. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated and to take advantage of this life-saving vaccine.”
