Coronavirus pandemic
Coronavirus Delta variant Q&A
As the delta variant takes hold, the unvaccinated are in for a rude awakening. It’s not just ignorance — they’re begging for a Darwin Award. Unfortunately, thanks to all these unvaccinated knuckleheads, vaccinated Americans are now being put more at risk, too. The delta variant is a mutant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Early estimates suggest […]
Public health officials try to battle the misinformation pandemic
Ohio continues to get good news in its fight against coronavirus. On Saturday, the infection rate dropped to less than 50 cases per 100,000 Ohioans. That’s the rate Gov. Mike DeWine originally set for removing COVID-related health orders, although he backed off of it as federal authorities eased masking guidance. The rate is a far, […]
Ohio’s unvaccinated might be in as much danger now as they were in February. But state officials can’t directly track them
More than 5 million Ohioans have started getting vaccinated against the coronavirus — and a few lucky ones will win a million bucks or a free ride to college for doing so. That has overall disease, hospitalization and death numbers plummeting as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ends covid restrictions on Wednesday. But the 64% of […]
Housing advocate: Worker crunch due to a lot more than federal supplements
Federal unemployment supplements are not the sole reason Ohio employers are having a hard time finding workers, an Ohio housing advocate said Monday. Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this month announced that on June 26 he would end Ohio’s participation in a federal program that provided $300 a week in additional unemployment pay. The money was […]
Turning the page: After 15 months Ohio starts to move on from pandemic
Turning the page: After 15 months Ohio starts to move on from pandemic
Without supporting data, Ohio to end federal unemployment supplement
Citing fears that a $300-a-week federal unemployment supplement was keeping Ohioans from returning to the workforce, Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday announced that he would end it. However, the governor was unable to cite any data showing that businesses’ trouble finding workers was due to the supplement and not other dislocations caused by the coronavirus […]
Ohio announces end of health orders, new incentives for vaccines
Gov. Mike DeWine began to move from sticks to carrots Wednesday when it comes to protecting Ohioans from COVID-19. The rate of infections is more than double the goal he set for removing pandemic-related restrictions. Even so, DeWine said that on June 2, all orders will expire except those regarding nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. […]
The NFL is asking for vaccine proof at Ohio event, but the governor won’t recommend other businesses to do likewise
When the NFL draft opens in Cleveland on Thursday, people will have to show proof that they’ve been fully vaccinated to be in most rooms where the action is taking place and to attend part of the fan event. Also, the league is requiring team employees who are medically eligible to get vaccinated or lose […]
As in other states, Ohio might be running out of people who want shots
Some county health departments in Ohio are again telling state officials this week not to send them any more coronavirus vaccines. That’s because they haven’t been able to use up the supplies they already have. It might be part of a national phenomenon. The news organization Axios reported this week on a paper by the […]
DeWine rules out additional restrictions as covid variants spread
Even with rising levels of vaccination, coronavirus cases are starting to surge in Ohio. The increase seems largely due to a faster-spreading variant spilling over the border from Michigan, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday wouldn’t call for increased restrictions in either state. The faster-spreading B.1.1.7 variant is playing a big role in fueling […]
Ohio scrambles to adjust to vaccine “pause”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday said he was blindsided like everybody else when he learned that federal public health officials were advising that all states should “pause” administration of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. DeWine followed that advice and now vaccine providers are trying to pivot as quickly as they can so that […]
With variants spreading, Ohio tries to reach the vaccine hesitant
After months of increasing vaccination rates and declining coronavirus cases, infections are again going up in Ohio. Gov. Mike Dewine and health officials on Thursday said the increase has put the state in a race against more-contagious variants that evolve from the “mutant swarm” that thrives so long as the virus has plenty of hosts […]