COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Protecting the elderly and allowing students to return to classrooms were among the priorities in determining who will be next in Ohio to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine is currently being distributed to front-line medical personnel and those in nursing homes. Gov. Mike DeWine and state health officials have been determining who will be next in line. He said Wednesday during a coronavirus briefing that those groups will be:
- Residents 65 and older. DeWine said people in that age group make up 86.8% of deaths from the disease.
- Younger people with severe inherited and developmental disorders such as sickle cell anemia or Down syndrome.
- School districts attempting to return to in-person learning so that they can vaccinate their workforce.
DeWine said 71% of students attending public schools are fully remote, but by March 1, he wants them to have the option to return to the classroom.
“There are many reasons for this. Many schools have struggled with this. Many have tried to open and we’re open for a while,” DeWine said. “That’s very understandable. We are in a very difficult, difficult period of time.”
Ohio school districts have been using a mix of instructional methods during the pandemic, including fully in-person, fully remote and blended models. DeWine said he wants all families who want their children to learn fully in-person to be able to have that option again. His plan would not vaccinate children but rather district personnel such as teachers, bus drivers and cafeteria workers.
Although schools are not seen as locations where there is significant virus spread, many districts have had to make changes to their learning models because of sick staff members.
DeWine said some students do well with remote learning, but others struggle — and those are the kids he’s concerned about.
“Some do better. Some do OK. But there’s some that certainly do not as well,” he said.
DeWine also said that he is asking school districts to consider extending their winter breaks a week or so. He said that doing so will allow families to find out if their children got sick over the break and reduce the chance of them taking the illness to school.
