Dewine addresses anniversary of 1st virus shutdown

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Mike Dewine on Thursday spoke to his fellow Ohioans to highlight the one-year anniversary of coronavirus shutdowns starting in Ohio and offered a light at the end of the virus tunnel.

Dewine said all health orders will be rescinded once coronavirus cases fall to 50 per 100,000 residents. He said cases in the state continue to go down, and this is a goal Ohioans can help reach by staying vigilant and continuing to wear masks and staying distant. He also encouraged Ohioans to get vaccinated.

One of the Republican governor's first actions happened this week in March 2020 when he laid down strict attendance limits on the annual Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, a giant sports festival that typically attracts 20,000 athletes from 80 countries as well as thousands of spectators.

"That was really, at least for me, the beginning of the pandemic," Dewine said earlier this week.

Nine days later, Dewine ordered schools closed for three weeks, an order that ultimately ended in-person learning for many districts for nearly a year.

The 7-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 2,353.71 new cases per day on Feb. 17 to 1,801.43 new cases per day on March 3, according to an Associated Press analysis of data provided by The COVID Tracking Project.

More than 1.7 million people in Ohio have received at least one shot of the vaccine, or about 15% of the population as of Wednesday, according to the state Health Department. More than 930,000 have completed their vaccinations, or about 8% of the population.

In Auglaize County, two new cases were reported from noon Wednesday through noon Thursday. The health department released its vaccination clinic update, noting individuals age 60 and older are now eligible for the vaccination.

The Auglaize County Vaccine Providers will continue scheduling for the eligible groups in Phase 1B of Ohio’s vaccine rollout. Each Vaccine Provider will have a limited supply of the vaccine for the qualifying priority groups.

The following groups will qualify for COVID-19 Vaccine effective imediately. If you do not meet the below criteria, please do not call for an ap

pointment at this time. Please continue to monitor the Vaccine Providers’ websites, social media pages, and local media for future updates.

Those who qualify:

* 60 years of age and older * Additional Medical Conditions, including ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease; bone marrow transplant recipients; people with Type 1 diabetes; pregnant women

* Qualifying Occupations, including child care services staff with regular, ongoing direct contact with enrolled children; funeral service industry staff; law enforcement and corrections officers including firefighters.

* Individuals with a severe congenital, developmental or early onset disorder and qualifying conditions.

Remember:

* Vaccine recipients must be age 16 or older to be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and age 18 or older to be eligible for the Moderna vaccine.

* Any individuals with one of the conditions above AND an intellectual or developmental disability who have not yet received the vaccine should contact their local board of developmental disabilities for assistance scheduling an appointment.

* K-12 School Staff are asked to speak with your school administrators for additional information on how to receive the vaccine.

Grand Lake Health System:

Please visit www.grandlakehealth.org to complete the appointment request form or call 419-300-1132. If the current Phase 1B criteria are met, patients will receive a phone call to schedule their appointment. If you have completed the online form or called and left a message, your information has been received; please do not complete any additional forms or leave additional messages.

GLHS eligible recipients may fill out an online form available via the health system website that puts the patient on a waiting list. Eligible patients will then be contacted by phone to schedule a vaccine appointment.

Kroger:

Kroger of St. Marys customers should visit www.kroger.com/ohiocovidvaccine or call the COVID-19 vaccine helpline at 866-211-5320 to schedule an appointment. All COVID-19 vaccines will require an appointment via www.kroger.com/ohiocovidvaccine or 866211-5320 as vaccines are available.

County Health Department:

The Auglaize County Health Department has begun scheduling appointments for COVID Vaccine clinics for the week of March 8th. To schedule please call (419) 738-3410 and select option 1. Schedule availability will depend on the amount of vaccine received. For more information visit www.auglaizehealth.org.

Lima Memorial

For information on scheduling an appointment to receive the vaccine through the Lima Memorial Health System please call (419) 998-4491 or visit www.limamemorial.org/ vaccine.

Additional information on other COVID-19 Vaccine Providers providing vaccine around the area can be found on coronavirus.ohio.gov.