Vaccine Providers Denying Vaccine To Some Eligible Ohioans

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility this week to residents with serious, chronic medial illnesses.

However, some vaccine providers are denying the vaccine to eligible Ohioans because they are not 65 or older, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday. He specifically said people with cystic fibrosis are struggling to get the vaccine.

"This is not right. They should be able to get the vaccine," DeWine said. "They have every right to be there, their age doesn't matter."

Providers must vaccinate any eligible Ohioans, including people with cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and Type 1 diabetes, the governor said. A full list of eligible conditions has been shared on the Ohio Department of Health website.

"The whole purpose of the list is to get these people vaccinated. If they got COVID, it would not be good," the governor said. "We want to make sure they get this vaccine. They are the very people we want to have it."

Additional communications will be sent to providers on Thursday demanding they vaccinate all eligible Ohioans, the governor said. Vaccine providers must follow the eligibility list provided by the Ohio Department of Health.

There are no plans to further expand vaccine eligibility for at least the next few weeks, DeWine said.

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Here are all of Thursday's COVID-19 numbers:

• New cases: 2,282.
• New deaths: 98.
• New hospitalizations: 173.
• New ICU admissions: 28.

Hospitalizations and intensive care admissions related to COVID-19 were up slightly on Thursday, DeWine said.

At least 876,697 Ohioans have contracted COVID-19 and recovered, the Ohio Department of Health said.

More than 11.5 percent of Ohioans have received at least the first part of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state health department. More than 4.5 percent of Ohioans have received both COVID-19 vaccine shots.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 1.36 million Ohioans had received at least the first shot and 539,023 Ohioans have completed the vaccination process.