Vaccine available to certain members of Ohio’s general population starting Jan. 19, school personnel on Feb. 1

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - During his remarks on Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine said the COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available to an expanded portion of Ohio’s population.

Until now, only members of the Phase 1A group, which includes front-line health care workers and nursing home residents, were eligible for the vaccine.

The governor detailed a timeline for the rollout of Phase 1B.

Beginning Jan. 19, the vaccine is expected to be available to members of the general population who are 80 years or older. The governor estimated that the group consists of up to 450,000 Ohioans.

“We’ll start with our most vulnerable, where we’ve seen the most tragedy,” DeWine said.

In the weeks following Jan. 19, Gov. DeWine said five years will be removed from the minimum age of someone who wishes to get the COVID-19 vaccine, meaning:

• Jan. 25: Individuals who are 75 years or older will be eligible
• Feb. 1: Individuals who are 70 years or older will be eligible
• Feb. 8: Individuals who are 65 years or older will be eligible

The governor also announced that school members can begin to receive a coronavirus vaccine dose on Feb. 1 if the district agrees to work to have children safely return to in-person learning by March.

“We will be asking schools to send us the number of staff they believe will choose to take the vaccination and indicate if they are already working with partners for vaccine administration,” Gov. DeWine said.

Certain medical conditions may qualify an individual to receive the vaccine beginning Jan. 25.

Once the next phase begins, physicians, health care department, and registered providers will assist in administering the vaccine to members of the Phase 1B group.

As of Thursday, more than 221,000 Ohioans have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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