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Gov. DeWine Says Vaccinating Children Is Key to Stopping COVID-19

Ideastream Public Media | By Abigail Bottar

Published June 3, 2021 at 5:14 PM EDT

Until now, children under 16 have not been included in any of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine trials. — Gov. Mike DeWine says vaccinating kids ages 12 and up may be the key to stopping the spread of the virus in Ohio.

Gov. Mike Dewine says vaccinating children will be integral to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Ohio.

As of yesterday, 53% of Ohioans over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, slightly less than the the 56% of Ohioans over the age of 18.

Ohio Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff says although children do not have the same level of risk as older adults might, they can still get seriously sick from the virus.

Ohio Department of Health Medical Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff on COVID-19 in children

It's still a serious risk.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff is chief medical director at the Ohio Department of Health

“I think we often think of COVID as relatively benign for children, but we now rank it as one of the top ten causes of pediatric death.”

DeWine says Ohio still has room to improve in vaccinations for young people. He says vaccinating this population will help reach President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70% of Americans vaccinated by July 4.