COLUMBUS, Ohio — COVID-19 vaccinations are on the rise in Ohio in the state's first week of the Vax-a-Million vaccine lottery incentive, DeWine said Monday.
The state will learn the name of the first of five winners Wednesday at 7:29 p.m. At that same time, the state will draw the first winner of its youth vaccine incentive - a full, four-year scholarship to any state university in Ohio.
But, how many people are in the pool?
DeWine said 2,758,470 Ohioans registered for the Vax-a-Million drawing, and 104,386 people 17 and younger signed on for the school drawing.
Sunday night was the deadline for registration for the lotto's first round, though Ohioans can continue to register for the remaining drawings.
To register online, click here. You can also call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH to throw your hat in the ring.
INCREASE IN VACCINATIONS
DeWine said that across the board, vaccinations are on the rise in Ohio.
The age group with the biggest spike in shots, DeWine said, is in those 16 and 17 years old, with a 94% increase. Ohioans 18 and 19 saw a 46% increase, and vaccinations in those 20-49 went up 55% since the announcement of the state's lottery incentives.
DeWine also unveiled a list of the top ten counties seeing the biggest increase in vaccinations during the week of May 14, as compared to the week prior, including both Seneca and Wyandot counties in northwest Ohio.
SCHOOL QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION
On June 2, the health orders, with the exceptions of nursing homes, for the most part, go away.
School districts will then have discretion about whether or not to continue masking and social distancing.
However, according to the CDC, if a child has not been vaccinated, they should still isolate if they test positive for COVID-19 and quarantine if they are a close contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.
Vaccinated children do not have to quarantine or be tested if they are exposed.
DeWine noted that while this not a state health order, it is a standard infection control practice.
"When dealing with deadly communicable disease, isolation and quarantine of unvaccinated people has been used successfully for hundreds of years. These are standard public health practices that are implemented for many communicable diseases including measles and mumps," DeWine said.
Ohio Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff explained that the current COVID-19 vaccines are very effective - therefore, fully vaccinate people are unlikely to get or transmit COVID-19 to others. This is why vaccinated people, with no symptoms, don't need to get tested or quarantine. Unvaccinated people lack this protection, however, which is why they should continue with this guidance.
As a reminder, isolation separates people who are sick from those who are not. Quarantine separates those who have been exposed to the virus from others, to see if they become sick.
MEDICAID
DeWine said Monday that Ohio Medicaid beneficiaries have a lower vaccine uptake compared to Ohioans overall – 22% compared to 45%, calling the disparity "unacceptable."
In response, the administration has taken several steps to encourage vaccinations, including incentives of gift cards, ensuring transportation, tailoring strategies to meet people where they are and creating vaccine opportunities outside of normal business hours.
"These major efforts show real promise, and I’m very hopeful that we’ll increase the amount vaccinations among people with Medicaid," DeWine said.
COVID-19 DATA
The state is now down to 89.3 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people as the metric continues to drop in the state.
The governor said this number is now dropping anywhere from 1.5 - 3 points per day, with only 40 cases to go until his initial goal of 50 cases per 100,000 people.
Hospitalizations continue to drop in Ohio as well, with 767 COVID-19 positive patients in the state's hospitals on Monday.