Local and state health officials have encouraged unvaccinated people to get the vaccine to slow the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 as numbers spiked in the last couple months.
Nearly 54% of Ohioans, or 6.3 million people, have started the vaccine, the latest figures show. More than 65% of adults and 63.01% of people 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Health departments across the state are also rolling out booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine for residents. Public Health - Montgomery County & Dayton started administering the third shots Wednesday, with Greene County Public Health scheduled to begin them o Thursday.
According to the ODH, people 65 and older, those living in long-term care settings and people ages 50 to 64 with certain medical conditions should get a booster dose. People ages 18 to 49 with certain medical conditions and those 18 and older with an increased risk of being infected with COVID-19 may get a booster shot.
Patients wait at least six months after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine before getting the third dose.
In the last day, Ohio recorded 6,463 COVID cases, bringing its total to 1,407,442.
The state is averaging 6,600 cases a day over the last three weeks and 5,948 cases in the last week.
Ohio had 3,684 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Wednesday, including 977 in ICUs and 645 on ventilators, according to ODH. Coronavirus patients account for 13.8% of the state’s hospital beds, 20.52% of ICU beds and13.54% of ventilators.
About 20% (5,318) of hospital beds, 17.93% (854) of ICU beds and 60.75% (2,894) of ventilators are available in Ohio.
In the last day, the state recorded 298 hospitalizations and 25 ICU admissions.
Ohio’s 21-day average is 254 hospitalizations a day and 22 ICU admissions a day, according to ODH.
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