Ohio expects increasing COVID-19 vaccine supply, DeWine says

Ohio can expect to see an increase in doses of the coronavirus vaccine from both Pfizer and Moderna in the coming weeks, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday (Source: “Governor Says Pfizer, Moderna, Boosting Vaccination Supply,” Associated Press via U.S. News, Feb. 4).

Ohio currently receives about 73,000 doses a week from each company, with Moderna expected to increase that amount to about 105,000 next week, the governor said. Pfizer officials have told DeWine that its own weekly supply of 73,000 should grow by about 40% by the middle of February and double by the end of March.

That good news was tempered by a notice from the governor that he repeated again Thursday: Once Ohio begins providing vaccines next week to everyone 65 and older, the state will hold at that level for several weeks because that age group is so large, at about 2 million.

The governor has also made vaccinations for school employees this month a priority ahead of the goal of returning all schoolchildren to in-person learning by March 1.