Governor DeWine Provides Update on COVID Exposure, Pediatric Vaccination Information

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine updated Ohioans about his recent COVID-19 exposure. The Governor cancelled public events through Sunday after he and First Lady Fran DeWine were exposed to COVID-19 by staff members who tested positive. Governor and Mrs. DeWine have tested negative for COVID-19 and will continue to test while monitoring for any symptoms.

Ages 5 to 11 Pediatric Vaccinations
More than 850 Ohio kids ages 5-11 have received the COVID-19 vaccine since the CDC and the FDA gave final authorization of the pediatric dose earlier this week.

Children may be vaccinated at many different types of providers, including local health departments, pediatricians, family physicians, community health centers, adult and children’s hospitals, and pharmacies. Parents should contact their provider to learn about vaccination opportunities or they can visit gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov to find a provider or make an appointment.

Click here to view the Ohio Department of Health's news release about vaccinations for children 5 to 11 years old.

Vax-2-School Update

The Ohio Vax-2-School program has expanded to include younger Ohioans with this new authorization. Ohioans aged 5-25, or their parents or guardians, can enter online at ohiovax2school.com once they have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The program will award $2 million in scholarships, including 150 $10,000 scholarships and five $100,000 grand prize scholarships that can be used at an Ohio college, university, or career training opportunity.

The initial registration deadline is Sunday, Nov. 21. Full registration dates, rules, and information, as well as the registration portals, are available online at www.ohiovax2school.com.

Deaths Data 

The Ohio Department of Health reported that 1,264 Ohioans died of COVID-19 in October. The number may continue to increase as reports are received. To put this in perspective the number of individuals who died of COVID-19 was the sixth highest during the month of October than at any other point in the pandemic.

In October, at least 173 of these deaths occurred amongst people in their 50s. At least 78 of these deaths occurred amongst people in their 40s–and at least 28 of these deaths occurred amongst people in their 30s. 

On average there are more than 41 Ohioans dying each day from COVID. 

Vaccination Data

The best tool to fight the virus continues to be vaccination. Those who are not vaccinated should talk to their physician if they have questions and visit gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov to find a vaccine provider.  

Today, nearly 65 percent of Ohioans ages 12 and older are vaccinated and 67 percent of those 18 and above vaccinated. In October, 153,163 Ohioans chose to get vaccinated.