More Than Half Of All Ohioans Have Now Gotten A COVID-19 Vaccine

OHIO — More than half of all Ohioans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine as of Sunday afternoon.

The first COVID-19 vaccine administered to an Ohioan was given in December 2020. In the ensuing nine months, vaccination rates spiked and then gradually lagged. In early summer, Ohio's vaccination rate slowed to a crawl.

However, as the delta variant become the dominant strand of the virus in the Buckeye State, fear of a renewed pandemic spurred vaccinations. On Sunday, after weeks of public officials urging residents to get a vaccine, Ohio finally crossed a coveted threshold: more than half of all residents are now at least partially vaccinated.

Gov. Mike DeWine and Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer of the Ohio Department of Health, have indicated the revived pandemic is splitting Ohio in two: people vaccinated and protected against the virus, and people at risk of severe illness.

However, vaccine hesitancy isn't the only reason a person may not have received a vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines have still not yet been approved for people younger than 12, meaning a portion of the population does not have the option to be vaccinated.

Among Ohioans 18 and older, 60.9 percent have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, the state health department said. Of Ohioans 12 and older, 58.45 percent have received at least one shot.

As of Sunday, 46 percent of Ohioans have completed the vaccination process.