The rate of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio seems to be plateauing. But state health officials say they're concerned about another statistic leveling off; the number of people getting vaccinated.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says more than 38% of the state has received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which he says is slowing down the latest uptick in cases.
"We certainly hope as more and more people get vaccinated, we're crowding this virus out, making it tougher for this virus to spread," DeWine said.
The governor said the downside in the current state of the pandemic is that the latest variants are more contagious, according to medical experts.
The Ohio Department of Health says more people in Ohio need to get the shot in order to reach widespread vaccinated herd immunity.
DeWine said they're looking at possibly changing the metric for when restrictions can be lifted. It's currently based on reaching 50 cases per 100,000 people. For example, Kentucky bases its restrictions on vaccinations.
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