Updated: 5:31 p.m., Wednesday, May 5, 2021
While promoting tourism at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Gov. Mike DeWine said the state is encouraging schools to come up with a plan to vaccinate Ohio students ages 12 and over.
On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported children represented 22.4 percent of new U.S. COVID-19 cases reported in the past week, accounting for 71,649 out of 319,601 cases. But later in the day, it was announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to as soon as next week. The vaccine is currently authorized only for people age 16 and older.
鈥淲ork with your local health department,鈥� DeWine said. 鈥淭here is still time before summer starts and have the health department come in or another health partner and vaccinate any student whose parents want them to be vaccinated.鈥�
DeWine said the state has already discussed plans for the summer as well.
鈥淲e're going to be in Boys Clubs, Girls Clubs,鈥� DeWine said. 鈥淲e're going to be where food is distributed. We're going to be anywhere where people are coming together.鈥�
DeWine said Ohio鈥檚 goal is to come up with similar distribution programs for the new, younger age groups as those that were available for the older demographics.
鈥漌e continue to vaccinate people,鈥� DeWine said. 鈥淲ithin the next few days, we hope to start vaccinating those who are 12 years of age and older and we hope by the fall to be able to vaccinate virtually everybody.鈥�
DeWine tied vaccinations to what he predicts will be a great summer.
鈥淭his summer, I think, is going to be better than any summer that we've ever seen,鈥� DeWine said. 鈥淚 think there's just pent up desire to go and enjoy yourself. We now have over half of the adults in the state of Ohio who are vaccinated.鈥�
Fresh off coordinating Cleveland鈥檚 role as host city for the 2021 NFL Draft, Destination Cleveland CEO David Gilbert agreed with the governor.
鈥淲e're starting to see a lot of 鈥楥oming Soon鈥� signs on restaurants that closed,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淲e are coming back. This industry is coming back and [we] believe that tourism can and will lead the way in the comeback of our economy post-COVID.鈥�
Gilbert last week said the draft gave a lot of people a 鈥渇irst sense of normalcy鈥� after a year of pandemic precautions and the event鈥檚 strong turnout showed many people are ready for the change.
鈥淭he statistics are showing it,鈥� Gilbert said Wednesday, at the museum with DeWine and museum president Sonia Winner. 鈥淧eople want to travel, they have money to do it and they're going to do it and we are so confident in the future growth of the industry.鈥�
DeWine added the state is looking at their options to help bars and restaurants with an employee shortage as workers continue to collect federal unemployment.
