COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state is one of the first in the nation to widely expand vaccine eligibility after Gov. Mike DeWine gave Ohio’s 1,300 vaccine providers the green light Monday to distribute doses to individuals 16 and older if a county’s supply allows it.
Ohio is currently vaccinating Ohio is currently vaccinating people aged 40 and older, along with individuals who have medical conditions such as heart disease, cancer and obesity. The state originally planned to start vaccinating 16-year-olds and older Monday, March 29, but DeWine said since providers reported many canceled appointments, he didn’t want the doses to go to waste.
“I authorized all of the health departments in the state and any other of the locations — we have about 1,300 locations around the state of Ohio — we have now authorized them that if they cannot fill slots this week or next week, authorized them this morning to go ahead and offer them to 16 years of age and older,” DeWine said touring a vaccination clinic in Youngstown Monday.
Mississippi, Alaska and Tennessee are among the other states that have expanded eligibility to all residents 16 years old and over.
More than 60% of seniors in Ohio, who are 65 and older have received a shot of the vaccine, according to the state’s dashboard, with the 80 and older age group nearing 70% uptake. For the 60 to 64 age group, 45.7% have received a vaccine shot.
The vaccination rate was lower for the 50 to 59 (29.6%) and 40 to 49 (17.3%) age groups. Ohio dropped eligibility to residents 40 and older on Friday, March 19. Residents 50 and older became eligible Thursday, March 11.
Ohio has vaccinated 2,786,318 people, 23.84% of the state’s residents, according to a Sunday afternoon update from the Ohio Department of Health.
Gov. Mike DeWine meets virtually with the state’s county commissioners early in the morning on Mondays. Each week, the commissioners provide updates to the governor on how quickly appointments are filling up, or not, which informs state decisions to expand eligibility.
