COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Expanding In Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio is expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to new groups on Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.

The vaccine will be available to any Ohioans 60 and older.

"The age numbers are very critical. Two-thirds of hospitalizations have occurred with people 60 and older," DeWine said. He said 93 percent of Ohio's COVID-19 deaths were among residents 60 and older. "We felt it was time to make this expansion."

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Other Expansions

Ohioans who work in childcare services, law enforcement or funeral services will also receive the vaccine. Ohioans who are pregnant, in need of a bone marrow transplant, or have been diagnosed with ALS or Type 1 diabetes can also receive the vaccine.

While prison workers will now be eligible to receive the vaccine, prisoners in Ohio will not receive the vaccine, DeWine said. He argued COVID-19 enters Ohio prisons via guards, so this should reduce the threat to prisoners.

DeWine said approximately 900,000 Ohioans will qualify for the vaccine under the new phase. He hinted there could be future announcements about mass vaccination clinics to be held statewide.

Citing unprecedented shipments of COVID-19 vaccines, DeWine said it was time to expand who could be protected against the virus.

Now that the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been approved, shipments to Ohio will begin. The governor said 96,100 doses of the vaccine will be sent to the Buckeye State this week. Over the course of this week, including the Moderna and Pfizer shipments, 448,390 doses of COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in Ohio. That's the most vaccine doses received yet in the state.

"This is a big jump from what we've seen before," the governor said.