COVID-19 Immunization | Illustration by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
As the United States continues to roll out the coronavirus vaccine, Ohio continues to struggle to vaccinate its population. As of Feb. 4, less than 10% of the state has received their first round of the vaccination.
Coronavirus vaccine
In December 2020, two different coronavirus vaccines began to be dispersed around the world with multi-phase vaccination plans. The general idea for vaccination has been to start with elderly and high-risk individuals and roll-out the vaccine to larger populations as more doses become readily available.
“COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness. Different types of vaccines work in different ways to offer protection, but with all types of vaccines, the body is left with a supply of ‘memory’ T-lymphocytes as well as B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus in the future,” said the CDC via their website.
According to the Bloomberg Covid-19 Tracker, anywhere from 7-13% of each state’s population has received one dose of either of the coronavirus vaccines as of Feb. 4.
Only 1-4% of Americans have been fully vaccinated.
Ohio’s vaccine status
Although Ohio is the seventh most populated state in the nation, only 8% of citizens have received the first dose of one of the coronavirus vaccines, with 2% receiving their second dose.
When newly-inaugurated President Joe Biden asked United States governors what resources they need to fight coronavirus, Gov. Mike DeWine reiterated the importance of vaccine distribution.
“Our biggest problem is really simple: it’s a lack of vaccine,” said DeWine during a news conference the day after the Presidential Inauguration. “I know every other state has the same problem, but I wanted the Biden administration to understand, the President to understand that this is the most important thing.”
In addition to the fight for more vaccine doses, Ohioans have also been expressing their frustration towards the vaccine distribution. Common complaints include limited vaccine doses as well as the difficulty of scheduling a vaccination, to which DeWine said there is a plan in progress to develop one portal to schedule a coronavirus vaccine for the entire state.
As more vaccines start to become available for Ohioans, Wright State Physicians (WSP) on the Dayton Campus will eventually become a vaccination site.
“Wright State Physicians will update the campus community when more information is available about providing vaccines on campus,” said WSP via their vaccination update webpage.
For up-to-date vaccination site locations in Ohio, click here.
