That number dropped into the high 100s last week as vaccine starts for all Ohioans saw a similar drop. There were an average of 43,080 vaccine starts per day across the state in the five days after the Vax-a-Million announcement, and that average dropped to 9,513 per day from Monday through Friday of last week.
The top 10 days for vaccine starts in Butler County came in March and early April after an expansion of the state program to those aged 40 and over.
The number of cases in Ohio has continued in a positive direction at the same time. There were 268 cases reported by the state on Sunday, the lowest number in three weeks. The Ohio Hospital Association said Sunday that 539 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, which is about one in 35 patients. In the past week, coronavirus hospitalizations have dropped by 24 percent. In the previous 24 hours, 12 people were hospitalized, the ODH reported.
That came after the announcement on Saturday that the two-week statewide average of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents dropped to 49.5. That was below the threshold of 50 per 100,000 that DeWine previously set as a target for dropping all coronavirus-related health orders.
However, DeWine expired those health orders last Wednesday, before that goal was reached, citing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an improving situation.
The next Vax-a-Million drawings for the $1 million prize and full, four-year scholarship to any of Ohio’s state colleges and universities will happen today, and the winners will be announced on Wednesday. Last week, Jonathan Carlyle from Toledo won the $1 million prize, and Zoie Vincent from Mayfield Village won the scholarship.
Carlyle said he initially put off getting vaccinated because he was working a lot, but he knew he needed and wanted to get the vaccine.
“When (DeWine) announced Vax-a-Million, as soon as I heard that, a few days later I got the Johnson & Johnson shot,” Carlyle said.
Residents 12 and older who have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine can sign up for the drawings at www.ohiovaxamillion.com.
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