YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — State officials are concerned that the pace of vaccinations is slowing down in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday. 

“We're still losing people in Ohio every single day, and we don't have to lose them,” the governor said after he toured a vaccination clinic in Youngstown at the Covelli Centre multi-purpose arena.

Fewer people are seeking appointments in part because the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has frightened some of the state's residents about all of the COVID-19 vaccines, DeWine said. 

“The uncertainty there has spread over some into the other vaccines,” he said.

The federal government is expected to provide an update Friday on investigations of rare blood clots in recipients of the single-shot J&J adenovirus vaccine.

While the J&J vaccine is paused, Ohio will receive 173,160 first dose Pfizer shots and 128,600 Moderna first doses for the week of April 26, the same quantities that were allocated the week of April 19. The governor said Thursday 4.5 million Ohioans have received at least one shot and 3.2 million have completed vaccination. 

DeWine said Ohio may be experiencing what he describes as a “natural” slowdown of the vaccination pace now that most of the state's eager residents have already been immunized.

“I get anxious about it, I worry about it, but the truth is it’s a natural cycle,” he said.

The J&J pause has made it more difficult for health departments to reach populations including students nearly on summer break, homeless Ohioans and incarcerated people, DeWine said.

“We have to see what the government says. Everybody’s waiting for Friday — we hope that gives some definitive instructions,” he said. 

Until COVID-19 cases drop to a safer level in Ohio, DeWine reiterated Thursday he is asking everyone to wear a mask, including fully vaccinated residents. 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the state's vaccination pace would be aided by a resumption of J&J administration. (Spectrum News/Pete Grieve)

“No one would like to get rid of the mask any more that I would. We're all tired of wearing them,” he said. “All of us continuing to wear the mask for a little while longer is going to allow us to play defense.”

For those who are not vaccinated, the spread of variants means this is the most dangerous period so far of the pandemic. 

“This vaccine is how we get our freedom back. This vaccine is how we get our world back but to get there, we've got to have everybody take that opportunity,” DeWine said.