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WEEKLY ROUNDUP | Ohio’s latest vaccine lottery so far has yielded little improvement to vaccination rates

By Mahoning Matters staff
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The state's new "Vax-2-School" COVID-19 vaccine lottery, aimed at younger Ohioans, doesn't appear to have had a noticeable impact on the state's vaccination rates in the more than two weeks since it was announced.

In August, about 10,000 Ohioans each day got their first shot, but the rate of new vaccinations in the state has gradually tapered since then. The vaccination rate came back marginally last week after hitting a two-month low for the week ending Oct. 2:

  • 46,268 new vaccinations begun the week ending Oct. 9, an average of 6,610 per day
  • 39,273 new vaccinations begun the week ending Oct. 2, an average of 5,610 per day
  • 49,887 new vaccinations begun the week ending Sept. 25, an average of 7,127 per day
  • 59,438 new vaccinations begun the week ending Sept. 18, an average of 8,491 per day
  • 48,248 new vaccinations begun the week ending Sept. 11, an average of 6,893 per day
  • 66,962 new vaccinations begun the week ending Sept. 4, an average of 9,566 per day
  • 67,830 new vaccinations begun the week ending Aug. 28, an average of 9.690 per day
  • 67,985 new vaccinations begun the week ending Aug. 21, an average of 9,712 per day
  • 62,327 new vaccinations begun the week ending Aug. 14, an average of 8,904 per day
  • 91,676 new vaccinations begun the week ending Aug. 7, an average of 13,097 per day

The new vaccine incentive program, announced by Gov. Mike DeWine on Sept. 23, offers a total $2 million in scholarships to the more than 375,000 Ohioans ages 12 to 25 — an age group with an about 42-percent vaccination rate statewide.

In the tri-county Mahoning Valley, the vaccination rate for those under 30 is even lower: 35.9 percent as of Saturday, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Less than 32 percent of the Valley's youngest eligible recipients, those ages 12 to 17, have received at least one dose.

“We are hopeful this scholarship program will help lead to an increase in vaccinations for Ohio’s adolescents and young adults, and help ensure our youngest Ohioans are protected against COVID-19, which continues to threaten the health and safety of all Ohioans,” ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff is quoted in a news release last week. “For parents of adolescents ages 12 to 17, now is the time to talk to your pediatrician or pharmacist to get the facts about COVID-19 vaccines.”

Vax-2-School registration opened Oct. 4. To register or find a vaccine provider near you, visit OhioVax2School.com or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).

Deadlines for registration and winner announcements have not yet been set. The state hopes to expand lottery eligibility to those ages 5 to 11, if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-made COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to that age group.

Other COVID-19 trends in Ohio

Between Oct. 3 and Oct. 9, the state reported:

  • 35,632 new COVID-19 cases, down from 40,551 the week before, including:
    • 941 new cases in Mahoning County, up from 912
    • 752 new cases in Trumbull County, down from 822
    • 535 new cases in Columbiana County, down from 597
  • 1,770 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, down from 1,836.
  • 527 COVID-19 deaths, up from 473.
  • 46,268 Ohioans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, up from 39,273.

As of Oct. 9:

  • 6,365,590 Ohioans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, including
    • 119,922 in Mahoning County, an increase of 740 (up from 671 new first doses the week before);
    • 99,493 98,813 in Trumbull, an increase of 680 (up from 646);
    • 43,635 43,286 in Columbiana, an increase of 349 (down from 821).
  • 54.46 percent of the state population has received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Mahoning Valley counties continue to lag behind the state rate.
    • Mahoning County: 52.43 percent;
    • Trumbull County: 50.26 percent;
    • Columbiana County: 42.82 percent.

Last week's coronavirus news

  • Pfizer last week asked the U.S. government to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children age 5 to 11 in what would be a major expansion that could combat an alarming rise in serious infections in youngsters and help schools stay open, the Associated Press reported. If regulators give the go-ahead, reduced-dose kids’ shots could begin within a matter of weeks for the roughly 28 million U.S. children in that age group. The Food and Drug Administration will have to decide if there is enough evidence that the shots are safe and will work in younger children as they do in teens and adults. An independent expert panel will publicly debate the evidence on Oct. 26.



  • Members of two of Youngstown State University's employee unions have voted "no confidence" in the university administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The union has also filed a grievance against the university, alleging it has failed to provide a safe and healthy working environment, as required under the union's collective bargaining agreement. Union leaders said the university still has no "comprehensive" COVID-19 testing or contact tracing plans and has yet to upgrade ventilation and filtration systems in university buildings, despite claiming in August those upgrades had been completed.



  • The Youngstown City Health District is offering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots at various locations across the city. Walk-ins are welcome at all clinics. Recipients need to have received the Pfizer vaccine previously. Click here for more information on eligibility and scheduling an appointment. The health department will have clinics at the Eugenia Atkinson Recreation Center, 903 Otis St., from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, and at various libraries across the city on Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.: Oct. 12: East Library, 430 Early Road; Oct. 19: Newport Library, 3730 Market St.; Oct. 26: Michael Kusalaba Library, 2815 Mahoning Ave.; Nov. 2: Brownlee Woods, 4010 Sheridan Road.



  • With daily COVID-19 case counts continuing to increase, the Trumbull County Combined Health District and the Warren City Health District are issuing guidance for Halloween. The health departments are recommending all door-to-door trick-or-treat events take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30 to minimize the spread of COVID-19 from one community to the next. The districts also recommend drive-thru events, drive-by costume or car-decorating contests, mailbox-delivered treats or virtual costume or pumpkin-carving parties. The districts discouraged nonvaccinated people from having large in-person Halloween parties.



  • A woman in her late 30s has died of a rare blood clotting condition nearly two weeks after receiving a single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Washington, McClatchy News reported. The woman is the fourth person to die nationwide out of the nearly 15 million people who have received the J&J shot since it became available in the U.S. The woman was vaccinated on Aug. 26 and died on Sept. 7. Experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed her cause of death was thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), which mostly affects women age 18-49, continues to be a rarity after vaccination with the J&J vaccine.



  • Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, thin staffing was a hallmark of nursing homes around the country. Now, staffing is even thinner, with about one-third of U.S. nursing homes reporting lower levels of nurses and aides than before the pandemic began ravaging their facilities, an Associated Press analysis of federal data finds. As COVID-19 engulfed homes, some workers fled over fears of exposure. Others were lured to easier work at similar or higher pay in restaurants and stores. And some were laid off by homes as occupancy fell.

This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 3:52 AM with the headline "WEEKLY ROUNDUP | Ohio’s latest vaccine lottery so far has yielded little improvement to vaccination rates."