COLUMBUS, Ohio — More people are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio as Gov. Mike DeWine's plan includes an additional 1,397,000 people starting today (Thursday, March 11).
Here’s who is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio:
PHASE 1D
- Type 2 diabetics
- End-stage renal disease
Gov. DeWine's office says Phase 1D includes approximately 197,000 Ohioans.
PHASE 2B
- Ohioans who are ages 50 and older.
Gov. DeWine's office says Phase 2B includes approximately 1.2 million Ohioans.
These new groups come just one week after Gov. DeWine opened vaccine eligibility to nearly 1 million people who are categorized in Ohio's Phase 1C and Phase 2, which are outlined below...
PHASE 1C
- Pregnant women
- Type 1 diabetics
- ALS patients
- Bone marrow transplant recipients
- Law enforcement / corrections officers
- Child care employees
- Funeral service employees
Gov. DeWine's office says Phase 1C includes approximately 246,000 Ohioans.
PHASE 2
- Ohioans who are ages 60 and older
Gov. DeWine's office says Phase 2 includes approximately 695,000 people.
When asked earlier this month about the state’s decision-making strategy when determining who’s next on the vaccination eligibility list, Gov. DeWine said age is the best indicator.
“It’s a balance,” he said. “What we intend to do after 60 is to go to 55. After 55 we intend to go to 50. Whether we add additional occupations, we have not, frankly, decided. But the age will continue to be the key indicator. We’re going to take it down as soon as we can to 55 and then to 50. We set on 65 for close to a month, and we think that was about the right period of time. I certainly do not anticipate that we’re going to be at 60 for a month, but we’re going to see what the uptick is [in number of vaccinations] along with the other groups that we just added.”