Ohio Covid-19
 Please share this latest information from the Office of Gov. DeWine with your stakeholders as appropriate. Thank you!  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 15, 2020 MEDIA CONTACTS: Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957 Breann Almos: 614-799-6480 COVID-19 Update: Vaccinations Continue in Ohio, Local Health Department Vaccination Guidance (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. Established in 1912, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is the exclusive provider of workers’ compensation insurance in Ohio and serves 249,000 public and private employers. With nearly 1,800 employees and assets of approximately $28 billion, BWC is one of the largest state-run insurance systems in the United States. Our mission is to deliver consistently excellent experiences for each BWC customer every day. For more, visit www.bwc.ohio.gov. |
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