Heidi Lapmardo, RN at Trumbull Regional Medical Center, administers a first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to TCTC student Amanda Chaners, 17, of Lordstown, Wednesday morning at a free community COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Packard Music Hall. The clinic, hosted by Trumbull Regional Medical Center in partnership with the Warren Health District and staffed by volunteers from Trumbull Regional and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, was prepared to administer1,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is approved for use in those age 16 and above. Around 240 people were registered for the event, and walk-ins were welcome.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Ohio has exceeded 2,000 at least seven times this month, after exceeding that number only four days in March.

The Ohio Department of Health reported 2,216 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday in the state, up from the daily average of 1,965 the past 21 days.

It comes a day after 2,340 new cases were reported.

There are at least seven days in April so far with more than 2,000 cases with the high coming April 8 with 2,742 cases. There could have been an eighth day, but the ODH didn’t count cases on April 4 because of Easter. The combined number for April 4-5 was 2,918 new cases.

The state had a total of 1,045,945 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday with 987,768 presumed recovered.

The ODH provides death information only on Tuesday and Friday.

On Tuesday, it reported 18,917 total deaths, an increase of 90 since Friday.

But it failed to include any of those deaths in the breakdown by county until Wednesday. The ODH didn’t provide an explanation for its failure to list them Tuesday by county.

Among those 90 were two in Mahoning, and one each in Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

Mahoning County had 20,777 total COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday with 19,471 presumed recovered and 583 deaths, according to the ODH.

Trumbull County had 15,500 total COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday with 14,422 presumed recovered and 459 deaths.

Columbiana County had 8,515 total COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday with 8,095 presumed recovered and 226 deaths.

VACCINATIONS

The state didn’t see a drop-off in vaccinations after announcing Monday it was pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in response to the federal Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. Those decisions were made after six women in the U.S. had rare, but severe, blood clotting after receiving the vaccine.

About 6.8 million people nationally, including 264,311 Ohioans, had received the one-shot vaccine before the pause.

The Mahoning Valley’s mass vaccination clinic at the former Dillard’s department store in Southern Park Mall in Boardman had to cancel upcoming Friday and Saturday appointments as it uses Johnson & Johnson vaccinations.

But Mahoning County Public Health, which oversees the clinic, announced Wednesday it had 1,000 appointments available for the Moderna vaccine April 23 with the second dose given May 21.

Appointments can be made online at mahoninghealth.org or by calling 330-270-2855 option 9.

Additional appointment dates will be announced based on demand and vaccine availability.

The district gave about 2,800 Johnson & Johnson vaccines at the mass clinics.

According to the ODH, 4,206,856 people, 35.99 percent of the state’s population, had at least started the vaccination process as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, including 47,028 in the previous 24 hours.

In Mahoning County, 36.88 percent of the population (84,338 people) had received at least one dose with 34.89 percent of the population in Trumbull County (69,072 people) and 29.99 percent in Columbiana County (30,552 people) as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to the ODH.

There were 2,774,456 people, 23.74 percent of the state’s population, who finished the vaccinations as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, including 68,527 in the previous 24 hours.

In Mahoning County, 25.7 percent of the population (58,768 people) had completed the process while 23.4 percent of the population in Trumbull (46,318 people) and 21.77 percent of the population in Columbiana (22,176 people) had as of 6 a.m. Wednesday.

dskolnick@vindy.com

dskolnick@tribtoday.com