The state is close to finishing giving both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to those at nursing homes, but needs to catch up on inoculations at assisted-living facilities.

Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that all those who want vaccines at the 920 nursing homes in the state have received a first dose and 89 percent have been given a second dose.

Of those who want vaccines at the 645 assisting-living facilities in the state, 86 percent have received a first dose, but only 48 percent have received the second dose.

DeWine didn’t address the differences Tuesday between those at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. But he said Jan. 5 that nursing homes were a greater priority because about half of the COVID-19 deaths in the state have occurred there and there aren’t enough vaccines.

Vaccinations in Ohio started Dec. 14.

WALGREENS PROBLEM

DeWine also said Tuesday that the state was informed by Walgreens that some vaccines the company gave a day earlier to those at five northeastern nursing homes were not kept properly in cold storage and will have to be given again.

The five are Ashtabula Towers in Ashtabula, Ashtabula County Residential Service Corp. Maples I in North Kingsville, Heather Hill Health Care Communities in Chardon, Six Chimneys in East Cleveland and Willow Park Convalescent Home in Cleveland.

“If there is any breach in that cold storage process, the vaccine can’t be relied upon to be effective, to work as it was designated,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer for the Ohio Department of Health.

Walgreens knows who was given the compromised vaccines, DeWine said, and there is no danger to those who have received them.

Neither Vanderhoff nor DeWine said how many vaccines were mishandled.

VACCINATIONS

With those at least 70 years old eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine Monday, DeWine and his wife, Fran, received a first dose Tuesday. The inoculations were administered to the DeWines, who are older than 70, by Dr. Kevin Sharrett at Kettering Health Network’s Jamestown office in Greene County.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said that the DeWines getting the vaccinations shows it is safe and effective.

The minimum age to be eligible for the vaccine in the state goes to 65 next Monday.

“We’ll hold for a number of weeks” after that, the governor said.

As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, 882,796 people in Ohio had received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, including 29,069 in the previous 24 hours, according to the ODH.

That includes 249,918 people 80 years and older, and 149,891 people between the ages of 70 and 79.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 179,168 Ohioans had received the second dose.

The vaccine is given in two doses, about three to four weeks apart.

Overall, 7.55 percent of the state’s population had received at least a first dose.

In comparison, 8.67 percent of Mahoning County’s population (19,838 people), 7.3 percent of Trumbull County’s population (14,461 people) and 7.02 percent of Columbiana County’s population (7,150 people) had received at least a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Also, COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state were below 3,000 for the eighth straight day. It was at 2,488 Tuesday. If by a week from next Wednesday or Thursday that number stays below 3,000 the state will move the start of its curfew from 11 p.m. to midnight. It moved it last week from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. because the state had seven straight days of COVID-19 hospitalizations below 3,500.

The curfew end time remains 5 a.m. and there are numerous exemptions.

On Tuesday, DeWine said the state is trying to increase the number of COVID-19 vaccines provided to minorities. Data shows the number of vaccines given to minorities is low.

COVID-19 DATA

The number of new COVID-19 cases in the state remained below 4,000 for the third straight day. That’s the first time that’s happened in three months.

But the number of newly-reported cases increased each day. It was 3,011 Sunday, 3,287 Monday and 3,657 Tuesday.

The state’s daily average number of cases for the past 21 days is 5,228.

Ohio had 902,736 total COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday with 793,766 presumed recovered and 11,336 deaths. That includes 106 deaths reported Tuesday, up from the daily average of 73 during the past 21 days.

There were five new deaths in Columbiana County reported Tuesday and a reduction of one in Trumbull County. A reduction usually happens because a death is attributed to the wrong county.

Mahoning County had 18,135 total COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, up 77 from a day earlier, with 16,060 presumed recovered and 339 fatalities.

The ODH reported Trumbull County had 13,329 total COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, up 56 from Monday, with 11,925 presumed recovered and 325 deaths.

Columbiana County had 7,634 total COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, up 16 from a day earlier, with 6,688 presumed recovered and 130 deaths.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com