Tuesday marked the first time in four days new coronavirus cases in the state exceeded 7,000.
Ohio is averaging 6,617 cases a day over the last three weeks, according to the Ohio Department of Health. In the last week Ohio is averaging 6,008 cases a day. In addition, the new figures show the state is nearing 22,000 total deaths since the beginning of the pandemic last year.
The Champaign County vaccine clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the community auditorium, located at 1512 S. U.S. Highway 68. Champaign County Health District director Gabe Jones said earlier this month that the health district was expecting “a large number of individuals” for booster dose administration.
Vaccines are available by appointment only for eligible people, the health district said in a news release. A pool of fully-vaccinated people who received the Pfizer vaccine series are eligible for a booster dose. They include:
- People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their primary Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty series.
- People ages 50 to 64 with certain underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their primary Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty series.
- People ages 18 to 49 who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 due to certain underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their primary Pfizer series, based on their individual benefits and risks.
- People ages 18-64 who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks. Underlying conditions include the following: underlying health conditions including: cancer, asthma, HIV infection, liver disease, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathies or a heart condition.
The booster serves as another dose of a vaccine that is given to someone who initially built enough protection after receiving a vaccine. However, that protection decreases over time, and the additional dose of the vaccine boosts a person’s immune system, better equipping it to fight off a virus, according to the CDC.
In Champaign County, roughly 37.2% of the county’s population has completed its vaccine series. More than 5.8 million residents statewide, or 49.99%, have finished the vaccine. Nearly 60.6% of adult Ohioans and 58.43% of those 12 and older have completed the vaccine series.
The health district said that those who are eligible and interested in receiving a booster dose can visit http://www.champaignhd.com or https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov to make an appointment online. Additionally, if interested people are not able to schedule an appointment online, they can contact health@champaignhd.com or 937-653-0110 for assistance.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 4,566 cases of the virus have been reported in Champaign County since the pandemic’s start, resulting in 196 hospitalizations and 64 deaths.
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