COVID-19 vaccines latest: Nearly a quarter of Butler County residents have started process

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Butler County is continuing to see fewer novel coronavirus cases as more people are getting vaccinated.

In March, through Wednesday, the state’s seventh-largest county by population has seen 1,117 total cases with 31 hospitalizations related to the COVID-19 virus, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Nearly 2,500 cases and 84 hospitalizations were reported in February and more than 6,000 cases and 117 hospitalizations came in January, according to the state health department.

On Thursday, Ohio reported 1,501 daily cases, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The number is in line with the state’s 21-day average of 1,509 cases a day.

“We are really at a point now where our cases were dropping and have leveled out,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said.

Through Thursday, 1,006,171 total coronavirus cases have been reported with 18,382 Ohioans having died from the virus.

Ohio has an average of 146.9 cases per 100,000 residents, which is a slight increase from last week’s report. Gov. Mike DeWine said when the 88-county average goes below 50 cases for two weeks, all health orders will be lifted.

The Butler County General Health District is vaccinating 3,000 people per week (1,500 at each of its two mass vaccination clinics at the Butler County Fairgrounds), said Health Commissioner Jenny Bailer.

As of Wednesday, 22.3 percent of Butler County has started the vaccination process with 12.4 percent fully inoculated. This nearly mirrors the statewide percentages with 25.9 percent of Ohioans starting the vaccination process, and 14.6 percent who are fully vaccinated, according to state data.

Ohio is scheduled to receive its largest vaccine shipment so far next with, with 571,460 set to arrive next week, DeWine said.

The state will receive a combination of Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Currently, Pfizer is the only vaccine authorized in the U.S. for ages 16 and older.

Starting Monday, eligibility will open to Ohioans ages 16 and older.

More than a dozen regional mass vaccination sites are expected to open on Wednesday, DeWine said. The opening date depends on when the clinics receive their vaccine shipments. Bailer said when the county health department’s vaccine allocation increases, she hopes they can increase their vaccination efforts to 2,000 per clinic.

Bailer said it takes about 45 minutes to get through the county’s mass vaccination clinic, which includes a 15-minute post-shot waiting area.

“We ask people to wait to make sure that they’re feeling good before they get out on the road,” she said.


HOW TO GET THE SHOT

As of March 29, all Ohioans 16 and older can receive the novel coronavirus vaccine. Here is how to sign up:

The state of Ohio has an online portal where you can sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Here’s how you can receive the shot elsewhere:

Butler County General Health District

City of Hamilton Health Department

City of Middletown Health Department

Warren County Health District

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