DeWine provides Vax-A-Million update

Staff and submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted provided the following updates Monday on Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Vax-A-Million update
Governor DeWine announced Monday that Ohio continues to see increased uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine following the announcement of the Ohio Vax-a-Million promotion.

From May 14 through May 19, as compared to May 7 through May 12, vaccinations in Ohio increased 94 percent among those 16 and 17 years old, 46 percent among those 18 and 19 years old, and 55 percent among those between 20 and 49 years old.

In total, 2,758,470 individual Ohioans have registered for the $1 million Vax-a-Million drawing and 104,386 young Ohioans have registered for the scholarship drawings. Ohio’s first Vax-a-Million drawing will take place at 7:29 p.m. Wednesday, May 26. 

Registration for this Wednesday’s drawing ended at midnight, but vaccinated Ohioans can register for subsequent drawings at ohiovaxamillion.com or by calling 833-4-ASK-ODH. Once people are registered, their entries will be carried over for future drawings; Ohio Lottery will remove duplicate entries. 

Vaccine uptake among Ohio Medicaid beneficiaries
Governor DeWine called on managed care companies to continue efforts to increase vaccine uptake among Ohio Medicaid beneficiaries. Right now, the vaccine uptake among Medicaid beneficiaries is 22 percent, as compared to a 45 percent uptake among Ohioans overall.

Governor DeWine initially challenged managed care plans to implement new efforts earlier this month, and since then, new efforts include: 

• Partnering with pharmacies and providing incentives, such as gift cards, to those on Medicaid who are vaccinated at a pharmacy.
• Incentivizing pharmacists to counsel those picking up prescriptions about vaccinations.
• Working with local health departments, community providers, and faith-based initiatives to help spread the word about vaccination events to those on Medicaid.
• Providing staff to help run vaccination events when needed and providing transportation to make sure people can get to and from the vaccination locations.
• Tailoring strategies to meet people where they are, such as identifying individuals who can’t leave their homes and working with providers to go to these locations to administer vaccinations.
• Working with providers to help them create vaccine opportunities outside of normal business hours.

Isolation and quarantine
Governor DeWine also clarified information about isolation and quarantine in regard to Ohio’s school students. 

Beginning on June 2, and in accordance with CDC guidance, vaccinated children do not have to quarantine or be tested if they are exposed to COVID-19. Unvaccinated children who are exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine if the exposure took place outside of a classroom setting where masks were required to be worn. Unvaccinated children should also isolate if they test positive for the coronavirus. Local health departments should determine if quarantine or isolation should occur.

“While these are not state health orders, isolation and quarantine are standard infection control practices that have been used successfully for hundreds of years,” said Governor DeWine. “These practices are the same practices that are used for many other communicable diseases including measles and mumps.”

Individual school districts will decide whether or not to continue masking and social distancing in school settings.

Next round of TechCred
Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced on Monday that the next round of TechCred opens on June 1 and closes at 3 p.m. June 30.

Ohio businesses can visit TechCred.Ohio.gov to apply and help their employees earn a short-term, technology-focused credential at no cost. Not only can businesses upskill their current employees, but they can upskill those they plan to hire as long as they are on the payroll at the time of reimbursement.

More than 1,100 Ohio businesses have used TechCred, creating the opportunity for 19,841 technology-focused credentials to be earned by Ohio employees.

Case data/vaccination information
In-depth COVID-19 data for Ohio: coronavirus.ohio.gov. 
Ohio’s central scheduling system: gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov
Ohio mass vaccination information: coronavirus.ohio.gov/massvaccinationclinics
All vaccine providers: vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov
More vaccine information: coronavirus.ohio.gov/vaccine

For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.