COVID-19 Vaccination Begins For Ohioans 80+

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio began Phase 1B of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.

"Age, sadly, is our best predictor for death if you catch COVID. Ohioans 80 and above constitute 53 percent of our COVID deaths," Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday.

The vaccine is now available to Ohioans who are 80 or older. Each week, the vaccine will be available to a new age group. Next week, for instance, the vaccine will be available to Ohioans who are 75 or older. The week after, Ohioans 70 and older can receive the vaccine.

Medically high-risk Ohioans, who are under the age of 65, will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines starting next, DeWine said.

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The majority of Ohio's public schools (96 percent) have agreed to reopen in March, in return for staffers receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. DeWine said school districts will either partner with their local health department or a local pharmacy chain for vaccine distribution.

Vaccines will available to some school staffers starting Feb. 1, DeWine said.

Tuesday's COVID-19 Numbers

Due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Ohio's COVID-19 numbers be artificially low.

Here are all of Tuesday's COVID-19 numbers:

• New cases: 4,989

• New deaths: 55

• New hospitalizations: 254

• New ICU admissions: 20

The Ohio Department of Health estimates that 684,072 Ohioans have contracted COVID-19 and recovered.

Approximately 444,500 Ohioans have started the COVID-19 vaccination process, according to the state health department. That represents 3.8 percent of the total Ohio population.

More reading:

• 10,000 Ohioans Have Died Because Of COVID-19

• 'Almighty Dollar' More Important To NCAA Than Health, Coach Says

• Fauci: 'We're Weeks Away' From Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Approval

This article originally appeared on the Across Ohio Patch