Vax-2-School: DeWine offers new vaccine incentive for youth

Vaccinated Ohioans ages 12-25 will be eligible for scholarships in a new incentive program announced by Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday. The "Ohio Vax-2-School program" will award five $100,000 scholarships and 50 scholarships worth $10,000. The money can go toward college or university education, postgraduate work, or career or technical training. Ohioans in the age group who have already been vaccinated are eligible for the drawing, as well as those who get newly vaccinated before the drawing, DeWine said. Further details will be announced next week. The governor said 73% of Ohioans 40 and older are vaccinated against COVID-19, including 84% of Ohioans 65 and older. But among 12- to 25-year-olds, the statewide average is 46%, and in some communities it's far lower. DeWine noted that getting vaccinated makes it more likely that children can stay in school, and that students who are vaccinated don't need to quarantine if they're exposed to the virus. He said 61% of the state's public schools are requiring masks, up from 31% on Sept. 1. As of Thursday, two of the state's school districts had gone "partially remote" and neither had required masks, DeWine said. DeWine noted that last week, leaders of Ohio's children's hospitals reported an alarming trend of more children sick with COVID-19 as well as other respiratory illnesses. This is putting a strain on the children's health care system. On Thursday, DeWine received what he called "a pretty scary letter" from the Ohio Hospital Association outlining "dire conditions" facing hospitals that care for adults, as well. "Many hospitals in Ohio are experiencing more COVID-19 patients in their hospital and intensive care units (ICUs) than they have seen at any point in the pandemic, including this past December's peak," the letter said. "And even in hospitals that are not experiencing quite the same high volumes they experienced in December, their situation is more dire than in December because of intense staffing shortages." The letter notes that the past 18 months have taken "a massive toll" on the state's hospital workforce. "Nurses are among the most devoted of health care professionals, but even they have a breaking point," the letter said. "Many nurses have retired or otherwise left the profession because of the immense physical and mental pressure of caring for so many critically ill patients over such a long period of time. And those nurses, respiratory therapists, and other clinicians who remain and have withstood the onslaught for 18 months are crying out for help." In mid-July, 1 out of 100 hospital patients was there because of COVID-19. Today the number is 1 in 6, the letter said. And while "northern Ohio has somewhat lagged the rest of the state in the current surge ... hospital and ICU census has been rapidly rising, and we are seeing significantly more sharing and distribution of ventilators to hospitals in need of extra capacity than we saw during the last surge," the letter said. In addition, the patients are younger. "Hospitals are seeing a 50% higher rate of hospitalization among 30- 49-year-olds, while those over 70 years old are being admitted to the hospital at less than half the rate as this past winter," said the letter. Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said 97% of Ohio's hospitalized patients this year have been unvaccinated. "COVID has changed," Vanderhoff said, noting that the delta variant is more contagious and is making "people sicker, quicker." He said data this week indicated the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5-11, but the vaccine won't be available for that age group until federal medical experts have reviewed the data. DeWine said vaccinations remain Ohio's "ticket out of this," which will enable kids to stay in school and adults to live life as they please. He said he can't guarantee the Vax-2-School program will work, but he thinks it might and is "well worth the money." "We've got a very resourceful enemy against us" and, while wearing masks and maintaining distance will help slow it down, "the best missile we have" against it is vaccination, he said. One reporter asked DeWine whether people who hadn't gotten the vaccine yet simply weren't going to. He replied that Thursday's figures show 7,000 new Ohioans started on the vaccine. "People's minds are changing," with individuals who have been eligible to get vaccinated for months just now doing so, he said. He said some of them may have known someone who got very sick or died of COVID-19. DeWine said we never know what might motivate someone, but it's possible that Vax-2-School will help. Arthurs: 419-427-8494