Keep up with regular news updates regarding Columbus and Ohio’s response to COVID-19 here.
The Numbers
COVID-19 cases — COVID-19 cases are continuing to trend downward overall, as are hospitalizations.
In Columbus, 264 cases of COVID-19 were reported for Wednesday, Feb. 3. As of Thursday, Feb. 4, 75,362 total cases and 534 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Columbus and Worthington.
In Franklin County at large, 407 cases were reported for Wednesday.
Countywide, 113,170 total cases and 745 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported by Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health.
In Ohio, 4,120 cases and 79 deaths were reported on Thursday, Feb. 4.
Statewide, 910,847 total cases and 11,509 deaths have been confirmed or are probable, as reported by the Ohio Department of Health. 806,397 Ohioans are presumed recovered.
According to the Ohio Vaccination Dashboard, 935,383 Ohioans (8% of the total population) have been administered at least one dose of the vaccine. 96,716 Franklin County residents (7.35% of the county population) have received at least one valid dose.
See a list of COVID-19 vaccine providers here.
More Updates
Vaccine Eligibility to Open for Ohioans 65+ — Next week, Ohioans 65 years of age and older will be eligible for the vaccine. The state’s vaccine rollout will hold at that age group, as well as the eligibility of K-12 staff and individuals with certain health complications, for several weeks. A plan has yet to be released regarding a rollout for individuals under 65 and residents who are not health care workers or school staff.
Vaccine Rollout Hitches — Coinciding with the transition to blended learning models at Columbus City Schools and elsewhere was the eligibility of K-12 staff for receiving the vaccine. There have been varying experiences in getting the vaccine, with some teachers expressing via social media that getting an appointment with private health care providers has been disorganized and confusing.
Assisted Living Vaccine Statistics — The Governor’s Office released statistics regarding the percent of assisted living facilities that have had vaccines administered. Of Ohio’s 645 assisted living facilities, Ohio has administered first doses in 86% of these facilities, and second doses have been administered in 48% of facilities.
Ohio is among the top five states for delivering COVID-19 vaccine doses to long-term care facility residents, Governor Mike DeWine said on Thursday.
ODJFS Public-Private Partnership — Governor DeWine announced the formation of a new Ohio Department of Job and Family Services public-private partnership team to improve Ohioans’ experience with the unemployment system.
The team will include experts with experience in large organizations’ call centers, claims processes, and fraud detection. The goal is for the team to provide recommendations and solutions to improve these efforts.
The experts will be coming from a number of the state’s top banking and insurance companies, including Fifth Third Bank, Nationwide, and Western & Southern Financial Group.
Updated Travel Advisory — Seven states now make up the Ohio Department of Health’s travel advisory list, which includes states with positive testing rates of 15% or higher, as of Feb. 3: Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas.
Four states — Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Wyoming — have reported have experienced reporting irregularities with the total number of tests performed, meaning an accurate positivity rate could not be determined.
The travel advisory list is intended to be a recommendation, indicating states residents should avoid traveling to.
For more information on COVID-19 in Ohio, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.