COLUMBUS, Ohio — The number of COVID-19 cases in Ohio is going further away from the metric Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, has set to remove all restrictions. Yet, the governor is remaining optimistic about the state's future to get out of the pandemic.

Even as he announced one-third of the state has been vaccinated, DeWine said there are more than 183 cases per 100,000 Ohioans. That number going in the wrong direction of the 50 cases per 100,000 tool the governor has said it will take to get rid of the mask mandate and other restrictions over a two-week period.

"This is a race. We are in a race and it's a life and death race," said DeWine.

DeWine did not say if he would move off of the 50 cases per 100,000 residents number, but did say there are three ways to get more people vaccinated.

First, beginning Monday, vaccine providers can partner with employers and other organizations to host what are called "closed-pod" vaccination clinics, so that people can get the vaccine outside of going to a large vaccination site.

"We know there's a real desire to do that. I've gotten calls myself so I know that many businesses and labor unions and others are interested in doing that," DeWine said.

The governor also wants health departments to continue to reach out to high schools to set up appointments for eligible students. Finally, the governor wants vaccine providers to keep up the pace with colleges.

This is the second week the state has been working to vaccinate college students before the end of the school year.

"Many of our smaller, our liberal arts schools will have received all of their vaccine this week and we hope will get those shots in arms,” DeWine said. “So that's moving along very, very, very well. Some of our bigger schools, it will take multiple weeks obviously to be able to vaccinate all of the students.”

Even though COVID-19 has typically affected older Ohioans more than children, DeWine pointed out kids are not immune to getting sick. In rare cases, they may develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome. There are 166 cases in Ohio.

Dr. Dustin Fleck, Chief Rheumatologist at Dayton Children's Hospital, said children it is unique because kids do not have to have an active COVID-19 infection to get the syndrome.

"This is kind of a post-infectious inflammatory response that usually develops about two to four weeks after kids can develop either a symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID infection," explained Fleck.

Dr. Fleck said the best way for kids to avoid getting MIS-C is the same way adults can avoid getting COVID-19 and that is by social distancing and wearing masks.  Adults should also get their vaccinations to help prevent exposing kids.​​