Ohio is expected today to exceed having 40 percent of its population at least start the COVID-19 vaccination process.

There were 4,658,250 people, 39.85 percent of the state’s population, who had at least started getting inoculated as of 6 a.m. Thursday, including 42,498 in the previous 24 hours, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The pace of inoculations has slowed in the past few weeks.

On April 15, 4,254,389 people, 36.4 percent of the state’s population, had at least started the process. In a two-week span, 403,861 were added, which is 28,847 a day. The state was averaging two to three times that amount in March and through the first week of April.

The Mahoning Valley, most notably Columbiana County, trails the state percentage.

In Mahoning County, 39.47 percent of the population (90,271 people) had received at least one dose as well as 37.65 percent of the population in Trumbull County (74,531 people) and 32.07 percent in Columbiana County (32,676 people) as of 6 a.m. Thursday, according to the ODH.

There were 3,715,333 people, 31.78 percent of the state’s population, who finished the vaccinations as of 6 a.m. Thursday, including 70,346 in the previous 24 hours.

In Mahoning County, 32.23 percent of the population (73,700 people) had completed the process, while 29.4 percent of the population in Trumbull (58,197 people) and 26.76 percent of the population in Columbiana (27,264 people) had as of 6 a.m. Thursday.

The area’s mass vaccination clinic at the former Dillard’s at the Southern Park Mall in Boardman is taking walk-ins today. It has 40 Moderna vaccinations for walk-ins at the clinic from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 80 Johnson & Johnson vaccinations for walk-ins from 2:30 to 6 p.m.

Also, Mahoning County Public Health is offering on-site vaccinations at businesses and organizations. To request one, go to the district’s website at mahoninghealth.org.

COVID-19 DATA

There were 1,786 new cases reported Thursday, up from the daily average of 1,770 for the past 21 days, according to the ODH.

It’s the 13th straight day the state has reported fewer than 2,000 new cases. But it ended a streak of 11 consecutive days with cases below the daily average.

The state had a total of 1,070,771 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with 1,016,805 presumed recovered.

The ODH provides death information Tuesdays and Fridays. Ohio has recorded 19,188 deaths as of Tuesday.

Mahoning County had 21,250 total COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with 19,998 presumed recovered and 585 deaths, according to the ODH.

Trumbull County had 15,877 total COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with 14,862 presumed recovered and 462 deaths.

Columbiana County had 8,671 total COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with 8,239 presumed recovered and 229 deaths.

DeWine and Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz today will visit Great Seal State Park in Chillichothe for a ceremony to plant 15 trees in honor of the victims and survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CASES PER 100,000 PEOPLE

After four weeks of rising COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, the state has had two straight weeks of declines.

The number of cases per 100,000 in Ohio was 155.6 Thursday.

The number was 185.8 per 100,000 last Thursday; 200 per 100,000 the week prior; 183.7 on April 8; 167.1 per 100,000 on April 1; 146.9 per 100,000 on March 25; and 143.8 on March 18.

DeWine announced March 4 that he would lift all COVID-19 pandemic health orders if the state got to as few as 50 cases per 100,000 for two weeks. At the time, the number was 179.7 per 100,000.

Shortly after DeWine made the announcement, he said he expected the number to get below 50 per 100,000 by June or July. But it’s more than three times that amount.

To get to at most 50 COVID-19 cases, the state would need to average no more than 417 cases per day for a two-week period. That hasn’t happened since last June.

The state Legislature will be able to remove all health orders by late June when a March 24 override of DeWine’s veto takes effect, which gives its members the authority to end state of emergency and public health orders.

Also, Mahoning and Trumbull continue to be Level 3 (red) counties on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System. That is one level below the highest (purple) and where the two counties have been for months.

Columbiana County stayed at Level 2 (orange) for the sixth straight week.

dskolnick@vindy.com

dskolnick@tribtoday.com