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(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt.
Governor Jon Husted today provided the following updates on Ohio's
response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
VACCINATIONS CONTINUE IN OHIO
Seven hospitals in Ohio received their first vaccine shipments
today, bringing the total number of vaccine doses delivered to Ohio
over the past two days to 98,475.
Governor and First Lady DeWine were present this morning for the
delivery of the vaccine shipment to Mercy Health Springfield
Regional Medical Center and Lt. Governor Jon Husted visited
OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus as they received
their first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.
In addition to the two aforementioned hospitals, COVID-19 vaccine
shipments of 975 doses apiece were also delivered to:
Mercy Health St. Vincent Hospital, Lucas County
Cleveland Clinic, Cuyahoga County
Metro Health Medical Center, Cuyahoga County
Aultman Hospital, Stark County
Genesis Hospital, Muskingum County
An additional 975-dose shipment was delivered today to OhioHealth
Riverside Hospital for use at OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital in
Athens.
Although vaccine supplies are currently limited, the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services has advised that Ohio will continue to
receive vaccinations throughout the month of December. Next week,
Ohio is expected to receive 123,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, as
well as 201,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine. During the week of New
Year’s, Ohio is expected to receive an additional 148,000 Pfizer
vaccines and an additional 89,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
A number of healthcare workers who received vaccinations today
joined today's public briefing to discuss their experiences,
including Kasi Gardner, RN, of Mercy Health Springfield Regional
Medical Center who received her vaccine during the news conference.
Dr. Jennifer Wall Forrester, associate chief medical officer at UC
Health, also discussed when citizens should call their doctors or go
to the hospital if they develop COVID-19 symptoms.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
Ohioans continue to be hospitalized at record numbers. As of today,
5,296 patients are hospitalized throughout the state and 1,311 of
those patients are in intensive care units. Ohio currently has more
patients in the ICU than it had total for all COVID-19 hospitalized
patients during the previous peak last summer. There are currently
863 patients who need a ventilator, as compared to 360 patients on
ventilators a month ago.
"While there is good reason to be optimistic about Ohioans receiving
the vaccine, we have our work cut out for us to slow the spread of
the virus until enough Ohioans can be vaccinated," said Governor
DeWine. "We must continue rallying together to prevent overwhelming
our hospitals."
LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT VACCINATION GUIDANCE
Next week, local health departments in Ohio that registered as
providers are expected to begin receiving vaccines. Today, Governor
DeWine outlined guidance on individuals who should be prioritized by
health departments during Phase 1A.
Local health departments should coordinate the vaccinations of
congregate care residents and staff, such as those at nursing homes
and assisted living facilities, who are not enrolled in the federal
long-term care pharmacy programs or are not registered as providers
themselves. This includes people with developmental disabilities and
those with mental health disorders, including substance use
disorders, who live in group homes, residential facilities, or
centers, as well as staff.
In addition, local health departments should prioritize vaccinating
other healthcare providers who are not being vaccinated by hospitals
and health systems and are not enrolled as providers themselves.
These providers could include:
Home health workers
Hospice workers
Emergency medical services responders
Primary care practitioners
Free-standing emergency department, urgent care, pharmacy, and
dialysis center providers not vaccinated by hospitals or healthcare
systems
Dental providers
Public health employees who are at risk of exposure or transmission,
such as vaccinators
Mobile unit practitioners
Federally-qualified health center providers
High-risk ancillary health care staff members
CURRENT CASE DATA
In total, there are 579,357 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19
reported in Ohio and 7,654 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A
total of 32,878 people have been hospitalized throughout the
pandemic, including 5,283 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. |
