Breaking: 1 dead after argument, assault ends in gunfire at Dayton gas station

LISTEN: Podcast goes to the least vaccinated Dayton-area communities

Ashley Odon, a 33-year-old mother of three who works at Smith’s Carry-Out in Westwood and lives in the same 45417 ZIP code, doesn’t get any vaccines for her or her kids. The 45417 ZIP code, where about 41% of eligible residents are vaccinated, is tied for the least vaccinated in Montgomery County.

Credit: Jordan Laird

Credit: Jordan Laird

Ashley Odon, a 33-year-old mother of three who works at Smith’s Carry-Out in Westwood and lives in the same 45417 ZIP code, doesn’t get any vaccines for her or her kids. The 45417 ZIP code, where about 41% of eligible residents are vaccinated, is tied for the least vaccinated in Montgomery County.
Local News
By Jordan Laird
Feb 9, 2022
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In the latest episode of The Path Forward Dayton, a Dayton Daily News podcast, reporters visit the ZIP codes in Montgomery County that are least vaccinated against COVID-19 and thus most vulnerable to the virus.

The 45345 (New Lebanon) and 45417 (West Dayton) ZIP codes touch but are very different communities. New Lebanon residents describe their community as rural, while West Dayton is more urban. The majority of New Lebanon is white. Most West Dayton residents are Black. Over 70% of New Lebanon voted for Donald Trump while the majority of all Dayton voters (about 70%) voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

So what do these two ZIP codes have in common? They’re tied for the least vaccinated against COVID-19 in Montgomery County. About 41% of eligible residents there are completely vaccinated. Compare that to 45419 (Oakwood) and 45458 (Washington Twp./Centerville) where 79% of eligible residents are vaccinated.

Reporters Jordan Laird and Josh Sweigart visited these communities to find out how residents view the shot and what might get more people vaccinated.

You can read more about the newspaper’s investigation into the wide discrepancies in vaccination rates locally here.

Listen to the new episode below or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Dayton Daily News Path Forward project investigates the most pressing issues in our community. Listen to the Dayton Daily News The Path Forward podcast for more stories like this.

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About the Author

Jordan Laird is a Dayton Daily News All Media Journalist. She joined the newspaper in August 2020.