COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a statewide address to Ohioans last Thursday, Governor Mike DeWine urged Ohioans to remain committed to following COVID-19 safety practices as Ohio cases trend downward, and detailed the measurement needed to lift all Ohio Department of Health orders.
“This has been a very tough year for Ohioans, yet we did what Ohioans always do— we rallied together to protect the most vulnerable,” Gov. DeWine said. “The end of our fight is now in view, but we must continue pressing forward. We can set realistic goals that we are within reach for lifting health orders.”
Gov. DeWine announced that when Ohio reaches 50 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks, all health orders will be lifted. Cases per 100,000 people for a two-week period is a measurement that Gov. DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health have utilized since early in the pandemic. As of Thursday, March 11, Ohio sits at 156 cases per 100,000 people, down from 195 last Thursday.
Preble County dropped back down to Level 2 this week on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System for the first time since Nov. 5, 2020. Preble’s 56.3 cases per 100,000 are the fourth fewest in Ohio, trailing only Harrison (53.2), Meigs (43.7) and Vinton (38.2) County, and Preble is now one of 19 counties to no longer be considered high-incidence.
Gov. DeWine also detailed the success that Ohio has seen recently in the COVID-19 pandemic. Ohio’s stay-at-home order and curfew have been lifted, and restaurants, bars and gyms are open. In February, Ohio vaccinated over 200,000 educators for students to return to in-person learning. As of last week, nearly 95 percent of Ohio’s K-12 students have returned to school for in-person learning.
Gov. DeWine also provided the following updates this week on Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phase 1D and Phase 2B Vaccination Eligibility
In response to significant increase in the amount of vaccine coming into Ohio, Gov. DeWine on Tuesday outlined the individuals who are included in Phase 1D and Phase 2B of Ohio’s vaccination plan, which went into effect on Thursday, March 11.
Phase 1D includes approximately 197,000 eligible Ohioans with certain medical conditions not addressed in previous phases, including type 2 diabetes and end-stage renal disease.
Phase 2B will open vaccinations based on age for Ohioans ages 50 and older. This group includes approximately 1.2 million eligible Ohioans.
Vaccination Scheduling Tool
Gov. DeWine announced Tuesday that Ohio’s centralized scheduling website is now available at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov. The website will serve as a singular location for Ohioans to confirm that they are eligible to be vaccinated, identify nearby providers, and schedule their vaccine appointments.
“As we continue to receive more vaccines, having a centralized scheduling website will streamline the process, reduce data lags, and provide real-time information on vaccination progress across the state,” Gov. DeWine said.
The Ohio Department of Health will continue to work directly with vaccine providers to integrate their current systems into the statewide system. Providers will be expected to use this system or another electronic scheduling system that interfaces with this portal.
The centralized scheduling website will also be used for scheduling appointments at the mass vaccination clinics, including the FEMA site in Cleveland, that were announced last week.
Outside partners, including the Area Agencies on Aging, will be available to help Ohioans who do not have access to the internet with appointment scheduling.
Current Case Data
As of Thursday, March 11, there are 984,934 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio and 17,662 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 51,323 people have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic, including 7,255 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.
