Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday he is authorizing all vaccine distributors to fill empty appointment slots with willing Ohioans 16 years old or older. Credit: David Petkiewicz via TNS
Every Ohioan older than 16 years old is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in one week, but providers can dole out any extra appointments to them earlier.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced in Youngstown, Ohio Monday he authorized the state’s health departments and vaccine providers to fill every possible time slot before that so nothing goes to waste.
As of now, all individuals at least 40 years old and those under 40 with certain occupations and medical conditions are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. All Ohioans over the age of 16 are eligible starting March 29. People between 16-17 years old are only authorized by the FDA to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Also on Monday, AstraZeneca announced it will submit to the Food and Drug Administration the findings of a U.S. study showing its vaccine is 79 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and that none of the trial recipients were hospitalized or died from the disease.
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine trial included 500 participants through the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State, with a total of 30,000 participants around the world.
