COLUMBUS, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a story published on February 4, 2021.
As distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine continues within the State of Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine announced he will once again hold his bi-weekly 2 p.m. press conference. The briefing, which will also feature Lt. Governor Jon Husted, is expected to provide an update on several key elements in the State's fight against COVID-19.
Below is a list of things that Governor DeWine is expected to address during Tuesday's briefing.
The latest COVID-19 numbers in Ohio
As always, Gov. DeWine will provide an update on the most recent new cases, hospitalizations, testing-positivity rate, and ICU capacity in the state. The Governor will most likely also discuss the latest number of Ohioans fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Vaccine distribution
The state continues to push for the mass immunization of Ohioans, the Governor will likely address both the hiccups and successes Ohio has encountered over the past several weeks.
With Phase 1B well underway, and Ohioans 65-years-and-older being granted access to vaccines on Monday, DeWine could address the next steps of the vaccine rollout in the state, and how Ohio plans to make the COVID-19 vaccine widely available to all residents in the coming months.
The reopening of Ohio's schools
Governor DeWine has been one of the biggest proponents for getting Ohio's students back in the classroom, and his recent efforts to vaccinate school workers seem to be the way he plans to do it.
Over the past week, schools all across the state have begun to vaccinate employees, in an effort to open back up for students by the Governor's targeted opening date of March 1. DeWine will most likely address the current school systems that have already received the vaccine, as well as the next steps for the upcoming districts.
Ohio's curfew
After the original 10 p.m. curfew was pushed back to 11 p.m. following lower case numbers, many are expecting the curfew to soon be gone as the State continues to see dropping hospitalizations new daily-case numbers.
On January 26, DeWine said that if hospitalizations drop below 3,000 for one week, the State will move from an 11 p.m. curfew to a midnight curfew. If that proves to be successful and the state drops below 2,500 hospitalizations for 7 days, the curfew will then be let go, according to Gov. DeWine.