COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio surpassed the single-day high for positive COVID-19 cases in the state for the second straight day with 12,864 cases.
10TV's Kevin Landers sat down with Gov. Mike DeWine at the governor's Bexley residence to discuss the state's response to a pandemic that has no end in sight.
DeWine said no one wants to go back to remote learning and the best way to keep kids in school is to get vaccinated, get the booster shot and also wear a mask in school, which he said will slow down the spread.
The governor also remains concerned about low-level vaccinations in the rural parts of the state.
“If you look at the counties in Ohio that have high vaccination levels, versus those with low vaccination levels, the with low vaccination levels, the death rate per 100,000 population is over double what it is in the well-vaccinated counties,” he said.
DeWine said there are still areas of the state where vaccination rates are 37% and there are more than two million eligible Ohioans who can get the booster but have yet to do it.
The governor said he hasn't decided if he plans to hold another statewide address on the dangers of COVID as he did during previous spikes in cases.
DeWine says for now he's leaving the messaging to doctors and nurses and urges the public to seek their own medical advice.
“Listen to your doctor go talk to your doctor and that doctor can tell you the pros and cons of doing this and I think doctors will tell them they are much better getting the vaccine than not getting the vaccine,” he said.