Governor Mike DeWine: Ohio to get first doses of COVID-19 vaccine on December 15
This welcomed news comes as Ohio wages a record-breaking war against COVID-19.
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TOLEDO, Ohio — Tuesday, Governor Mike DeWine (R) Ohio announced that Ohio would get its first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on December 15. It was learned that the vaccine is 95% effective, 28 days after the first injection. Moderna and AstraZeneca also have a promising vaccine candidate.
“Looks like around December 15 we will get our first batch. We are very excited about that. We are in the process of planning how that will get out. It will come out to us in different batches from then on,” DeWine said.
Even with the positive vaccine news, Ohio is still reporting record cases. The state reported 8,604 new cases of COVID-19 and 98 deaths Tuesday, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Gov. DeWine said that the new number of outstanding tests is 6,000, half of what it previously was.
As you may recall, the governor stated that the department of health’s system is overwhelmed with COVID-19 tests, as people continue to get tested for COVID-19 ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. One of the main reasons this backlog exists, is because the state of Ohio checks COVID-19 tests to a higher standard of that set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“If people don’t pull back from the normal Thanksgiving, we could have a disaster in here by the middle of December, leading into Christmas,” DeWine said. “Not only would that be a disaster from a medical point of view, but economically. I’ve said before that the biggest threat to our economy in Ohio and people’s jobs is if this virus flares out of control.”
The last few briefings the governor has held have been focused on the rising hospitalizations due to COVID-19, with doctors and hospital leaders making a direct plea to Ohioans to do the right thing this holiday season, so they can gather with their loved ones for the next holiday season. Tuesday, the governor was joined by the Ohio Department of Health’s new director, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff.
“The big fear is, if we don’t take the message of masking, distancing, avoiding coming together in groups seriously, Thanksgiving could have a much more profound impact and could actually result in our hospitals being overwhelmed,” Vanderhoff said.
As winter sports begin, Governor DeWine is recommending those games to continue without fans through December 31. The OHSAA confirms that it will still allow parents to attend their child’s games.
“We want to follow this recommendation so that our kids can continue to compete,” said OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute. “We believe it is crucial that parents be permitted to attend the contests of their children, but large crowds at our indoor athletic contests are not a good idea at this time. We all need to work together to give our kids and schools the best chance at having a full winter season.”
The OHSAA recommends member schools list the names of the parents on a roster sheet, which is usually located near an admission table, to help clarify who should be present at games. The association also recommends schools limit the amount of media that would normally cover their athletic events, and they suggest the utilization of a streaming service (Facebook Live, YouTube etc.). Finally, the OHSAA recommends that schools put a hold on pep bands, and strongly consider not sending cheerleaders to away contests.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed Ohio House Bill 404, which extends the expiration date of driver licenses (DL), identification cards (ID), and vehicle registrations beyond December 1, 2020.
