CLEVELAND, Ohio – Gov. Mike DeWine, along with Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. today to give an update on new vaccination incentives for younger Ohioans.
Today’s briefing will be streamed live on the Ohio Channel.
During a Wednesday interview with reporters in Rocky River, DeWine announced that he would announce new vaccine incentives to try and motivate young people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The governor previously used the Vax-A-Million program – a lottery-type contest where vaccinated Ohioans were eligible for $1 million prizes – to try and spur vaccination rates.
Coronavirus cases continue to surge in Ohio because of the Delta variant, with young people disproportionately making up a disproportionate number of cases and hospitalizations. Ohio Hospital Association President and CEO Mike Abrams sent a letter to DeWine on Thursday saying they are experiencing more coronavirus patients than at any time during the pandemic.
“And even in hospitals that are not experiencing quite the same high volumes they experienced in December, their situation is more dire than in December because of intense staffing shortages,” Abrams said in the letter. “So, even though some hospitals are treating fewer patients than at other times during the pandemic, they are doing so with far fewer staff than was available to them during prior peaks.”
On Thursday, the state reported 7,475 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 300 new hospitalizations, higher than the 21-day rolling average of 6,580 cases and 240 hospitalizations.
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