COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The coronavirus vaccine will be available to anyone in Ohio 16 years and older by the end of the month, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday.
A significant increase in vaccine supplies expected in the state warrants the eligibility expansion, the governor said. Currently, Ohioans 50 and older are eligible, along with a variety of others such as nursing home residents, front line medical workers, and people with certain congenital health issues.
“It’s a moral imperative that we move as quickly as we can to vaccinate all Ohioans who wish to be vaccinated,” DeWine said in a tweet.
Beginning Friday, people 40 and older and those suffering from heart disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity will be eligible. All those over the age of 16 will be eligible beginning March 29.
More than 2.3 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Ohio as of Monday, or about 20% of the population, according to the state Health Department. About 1.4 million people have completed the vaccination process, or about 12% of the population.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 1,928.00 new cases per day on Feb. 28 to 1,516.43 new cases per day on March 14, according to an Associated Press analysis of data provided by The COVID Tracking Project.