DeWine reduces vaccine admission age to 50, opens eligibility for additional medical conditions

COLUMBUS, Ohio – During a news conference Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that the state will expand the eligibility of the COVID-19 vaccine to include additional health conditions as part of the deployment of Phase 1D, in addition to reduce age eligibility as part of Phase 2B Launch.

Starting Thursday, March 11, people with type 2 diabetes and end-stage kidney disease will be able to schedule appointments for vaccination.

DeWine previously included type 1 diabetes as an eligible medical condition at the state’s Phase 1C launch on March 4th.

In addition to the launch of phase 1D, DeWine also announced phase 2B, which reduces the age of eligibility for the vaccine to 50 years and over.

Phase 2B also begins on March 11th.

The governor said about 1.2 million people in Ohio fit into the category included in Phase 2B, which adds Ohio residents 50 to 59 years old.

DeWine estimated that the number of individuals under the age of 50 with end-stage renal disease in Ohio was about 25,000 and those under the age of 50 with type 2 diabetes about 172,000.

Ohio residents who want to schedule vaccine appointments will be able to use a central scheduling tool on the Ohio Department of Health website from a computer, smartphone, or tablet. For more information on the tool, click here.