During a rare primetime address Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made a series of bombshell announcements, including lifting all of the state's COVID-19 health orders, a plan to give $1 million to five vaccinated Ohioans and plans to begin vaccinating children. Here's what you may have missed from the governor's major address. LIFTING COVID-19 HEALTH RESTRICTIONSThe state of Ohio is lifting all COVID-19 health orders, effective June 2.Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made that announcement Wednesday, saying that in three weeks, the state will remove health orders, except those for nursing homes and assisted living facilities.That includes the end of the state’s mask mandate.“It’s time to end the health orders. It’s been a year. You’ve followed the protocols. You’ve done what we’ve asked. You’ve bravely fought this virus,” the governor said. “And now, our cases are down, and we have a tested and proven weapon in the vaccine that all Ohioans 12 and over can utilize.”DeWine said businesses and schools across the state are permitted to make their own decisions on the best way to keep customers, employees and students safe.Lifting these health orders will not prevent a business from imposing its own requirements.Why wait three weeks? Waiting will give anyone not vaccinated time to get the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and be well on the way to immunity, the governor said."Now, lifting these orders does not mean the virus is gone. It does not mean we are all safe. Each Ohio citizen will make their own decisions about wearing a mask and social distancing — and when, for them, that’s appropriate," the governor said.OHIO'S VACCINATION LOTTERYAny Ohioan who has received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine is eligible to win $1 million, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday.Five Ohioans will be chosen at random in five separate weekly drawings. The first drawing will be held on May 26, with four consecutive drawings held each Wednesday that follows."The pool of names for the drawing will be derived from the Ohio Secretary of State’s publicly available voter registration database," Gov. Mike DeWine announced. "Further, we will make available a webpage for people to sign up for the drawings if they are not in a database we are using."The Ohio Department of Health will be the sponsoring agency for the drawings, and the Ohio Lottery will conduct them. The money will come from existing federal coronavirus relief funds.To be eligible to win, you must be at least 18 years of age or older on the day of the drawing. You must be an Ohio resident. And, you must be vaccinated before the drawing."I know that some may say, 'DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money.' But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it — is a life lost to COVID-19," the governor said.Additional details on the incentive will be made available in weeks ahead.Additionally, the governor announced that five people 17 years old and under will be eligible to win a full four-year scholarship if vaccinated.On May 18, an electronic portal will be opened up for young people who have been vaccinated to be able to register.One student will be randomly selected each Wednesday for five weeks as well, the governor announced, receiving a full scholarship — including tuition, room and board and books — to an Ohio university.VACCINATING CHILDRENOhio will begin vaccinating children 12 and up on Thursday after U.S. health advisers endorsed use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for this age group Wednesday.In his address, he stated Ohioans can rejoice in that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are completing the process of making the Pfizer vaccine available for 12 to 15 year olds.DeWine said according to Dr. Sherman Alter, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Dayton Children's Hospital, "vaccinating children will help us beat back the virus even further.""Getting these children vaccinated is so vitally important," DeWine stated in his address Wednesday.Among all the COVID-19 vaccines available, Pfizer remains the only vaccine available for 12-17 years of age. Those in this age group must receive consent from a parent or legal guardian to get the vaccine.INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITYDeWine said it now comes down to personal responsibility, adding that each person can choose for themselves whether or not to get protection from COVID-19 via the vaccine.“There comes a time when individual responsibility must take over,” he added.“Those who are not vaccinated remain prey to the virus. We hope for a good summer, but we also have to be able to get through the dark days of winter safely. To do that, we need a much higher percentage of Ohioans to be vaccinated.”The governor cited the sharp drop in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and high vaccination rates among people 65 and older. He also said the vaccine is a “tested and proven weapon” that all Ohioans 12 and older can now avail themselves of.A CHANGE OF PACEDeWine made the announcement even though his previous goal for dropping the orders hadn't been reached. In a March 4 primetime address, the governor had said he would lift remaining mandates once the state hit 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people for two weeks. At the time, the figure was 179 cases per 100,000 people; it had dropped to 123 cases as of this week.Despite DeWine's message, he also had little choice in removing the mandates. His speech came only a few weeks before fellow GOP lawmakers could have voted to immediately remove all mandates, per a bill passed earlier this year over the governor's veto. That legislation takes effect June 23. House Republicans signaled their intention to introduce a resolution Wednesday in preparation for a June 23 vote. “There's a strong sentiment that the health orders need to be dissolved,” House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Lima Republican, said earlier Wednesday.Senate President Matt Huffman, another Lima Republican, also said Wednesday it was time for the end of mandates. “Ohioans care about getting their businesses open and doing other things that will allow some freedom,” Huffman said.EXAMINING COVID-19 NUMBERSThe seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio did not increase over the past two weeks, going from about 1,522 new cases per day on April 26 to 1,207 new cases per day on May 10, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.More than 4.2 million people in Ohio had completed the vaccination process as of Tuesday, or about 36% of the population. But the number of people seeking vaccines has dropped in recent weeks, with an average of about 16,500 starting the process last week, down from figures above 80,000 in April. About 42% of Ohioans have received at least one dose.
During a rare primetime address Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made a series of bombshell announcements, including lifting all of the state's COVID-19 health orders, a plan to give $1 million to five vaccinated Ohioans and plans to begin vaccinating children.
Here's what you may have missed from the governor's major address.
LIFTING COVID-19 HEALTH RESTRICTIONS
The state of Ohio is lifting all COVID-19 health orders, effective June 2.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made that announcement Wednesday, saying that in three weeks, the state will remove health orders, except those for nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
That includes the end of the state’s mask mandate.
“It’s time to end the health orders. It’s been a year. You’ve followed the protocols. You’ve done what we’ve asked. You’ve bravely fought this virus,” the governor said. “And now, our cases are down, and we have a tested and proven weapon in the vaccine that all Ohioans 12 and over can utilize.”
DeWine said businesses and schools across the state are permitted to make their own decisions on the best way to keep customers, employees and students safe.
Lifting these health orders will not prevent a business from imposing its own requirements.
Why wait three weeks? Waiting will give anyone not vaccinated time to get the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and be well on the way to immunity, the governor said.
"Now, lifting these orders does not mean the virus is gone. It does not mean we are all safe. Each Ohio citizen will make their own decisions about wearing a mask and social distancing — and when, for them, that’s appropriate," the governor said.
OHIO'S VACCINATION LOTTERY
Any Ohioan who has received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine is eligible to win $1 million, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday.
Five Ohioans will be chosen at random in five separate weekly drawings. The first drawing will be held on May 26, with four consecutive drawings held each Wednesday that follows.
"The pool of names for the drawing will be derived from the Ohio Secretary of State’s publicly available voter registration database," Gov. Mike DeWine announced. "Further, we will make available a webpage for people to sign up for the drawings if they are not in a database we are using."
The Ohio Department of Health will be the sponsoring agency for the drawings, and the Ohio Lottery will conduct them.
The money will come from existing federal coronavirus relief funds.
To be eligible to win, you must be at least 18 years of age or older on the day of the drawing. You must be an Ohio resident. And, you must be vaccinated before the drawing.
"I know that some may say, 'DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money.' But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it — is a life lost to COVID-19," the governor said.
Additional details on the incentive will be made available in weeks ahead.
Additionally, the governor announced that five people 17 years old and under will be eligible to win a full four-year scholarship if vaccinated.
On May 18, an electronic portal will be opened up for young people who have been vaccinated to be able to register.
One student will be randomly selected each Wednesday for five weeks as well, the governor announced, receiving a full scholarship — including tuition, room and board and books — to an Ohio university.
VACCINATING CHILDREN
Ohio will begin vaccinating children 12 and up on Thursday after U.S. health advisers endorsed use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for this age group Wednesday.
In his address, he stated Ohioans can rejoice in that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are completing the process of making the Pfizer vaccine available for 12 to 15 year olds.
DeWine said according to Dr. Sherman Alter, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Dayton Children's Hospital, "vaccinating children will help us beat back the virus even further."
"Getting these children vaccinated is so vitally important," DeWine stated in his address Wednesday.
Among all the COVID-19 vaccines available, Pfizer remains the only vaccine available for 12-17 years of age. Those in this age group must receive consent from a parent or legal guardian to get the vaccine.
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
DeWine said it now comes down to personal responsibility, adding that each person can choose for themselves whether or not to get protection from COVID-19 via the vaccine.
“There comes a time when individual responsibility must take over,” he added.
“Those who are not vaccinated remain prey to the virus. We hope for a good summer, but we also have to be able to get through the dark days of winter safely. To do that, we need a much higher percentage of Ohioans to be vaccinated.”
The governor cited the sharp drop in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and high vaccination rates among people 65 and older. He also said the vaccine is a “tested and proven weapon” that all Ohioans 12 and older can now avail themselves of.
A CHANGE OF PACE
DeWine made the announcement even though his previous goal for dropping the orders hadn't been reached. In a March 4 primetime address, the governor had said he would lift remaining mandates once the state hit 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people for two weeks. At the time, the figure was 179 cases per 100,000 people; it had dropped to 123 cases as of this week.
Despite DeWine's message, he also had little choice in removing the mandates. His speech came only a few weeks before fellow GOP lawmakers could have voted to immediately remove all mandates, per a bill passed earlier this year over the governor's veto. That legislation takes effect June 23. House Republicans signaled their intention to introduce a resolution Wednesday in preparation for a June 23 vote.
“There's a strong sentiment that the health orders need to be dissolved,” House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Lima Republican, said earlier Wednesday.
Senate President Matt Huffman, another Lima Republican, also said Wednesday it was time for the end of mandates.
“Ohioans care about getting their businesses open and doing other things that will allow some freedom,” Huffman said.
EXAMINING COVID-19 NUMBERS
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio did not increase over the past two weeks, going from about 1,522 new cases per day on April 26 to 1,207 new cases per day on May 10, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
More than 4.2 million people in Ohio had completed the vaccination process as of Tuesday, or about 36% of the population. But the number of people seeking vaccines has dropped in recent weeks, with an average of about 16,500 starting the process last week, down from figures above 80,000 in April. About 42% of Ohioans have received at least one dose.
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