COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine made a few pleas to the state's more than 1,000 vaccine providers during his press briefing Thursday to continue entering in accurate data and allow people who qualify for the vaccine to actually receive it. 

This week, Ohio expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to those under 65 years old who are medically-vulnerable, meaning they suffer from severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset medical disorders. 

DeWine said his office has received complaints from residents, saying they’ve been turned away despite qualifying for the vaccine. 

“We’ve heard complaints from people who have cystic fibrosis who have been turned away. That is not right. Those individuals should be able to get those vaccinations,” DeWine said. 

He also asked providers to continue to gather data from patients in order to ensure equity with different populations receiving the vaccine, especially underserved communities.

"One of the goals in getting the vaccine out is equity, fairness as far as race, poverty," DeWine said. "All of these things are very important."

Vaccine Delays

Another issue DeWine addressed was the delay in vaccine shipments, both in Ohio and across the nation because of severe weather. 

In the past week, Ohio has been hit with two major storms, causing clinics to cancel or reschedule.

DeWine is urging residents to check on their vaccine appointments as many providers may be rescheduling because of the delay. 

He also said the delay isn’t as severe as initially thought; he said 29,000 first doses and 28,000 second doses were delivered Wednesday. DeWine asked providers to reschedule appointments hopefully as soon as this weekend to “get them out and in people’s arms as quickly as possible.”

Nursing Homes

As the state continues to roll out the vaccines, it officially released the COVID-19 vaccine maintenance program Thursday, which will help link nursing homes and assisted-living facilities with vaccine providers to ensure they receive what they need. 

Ursel McElroy, the director of the Department of Aging, explained the program aims to reduce vaccine waste and build upon existing relationships between facilities and their chosen pharmacy.

“Facilities can enroll in the program and let them know what the needs are,” said McElroy. “This can be for new hires, new residents or those who decide the vaccine is the right choice for them.”

DeWine also said with the program, residents or staff members who didn’t want the vaccine in the first place and then changed their minds would be allowed to receive the vaccine. 

As nursing homes continue to vaccinate residents, DeWine and McElroy said in a week, they look to ease visitation policies. 

“I want to ensure people we are constantly evaluating this, having the right conservations [and] looking at the right things,” McElroy said. “There are a lot of layers to this but when you get down to it, we want to connect people as quickly as possible and as safe as possible.”