As of Nov. 1, Delaware County still leads the state of Ohio in the percentage of its population vaccinated for the coronavirus.

The Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard said 143,641 people, or 68.67% of the population, has started on the vaccine in Delaware County. Only two other counties, Lake and Cuyahoga, are over 60%. Statewide, 55.44%, or 6,480,931 Ohioans, have started on the vaccine.

Delaware County also leads the state’s 88 counties in percentage who have finished the vaccine, 137,874 people, or 65.9% of the population. No other county has 60%, and the entire state is at 51.77%, or just over 6 million recipients.

Also, 17,690 Delaware County residents have received additional doses of the vaccine, either via a third dose or a booster shot. Statewide, 741,678 people have received additional doses, with nearly 14,000 administered in a recent 24-hour period.

The Delaware Public Health District is offering COVID-19 booster shots at its downtown Delaware office, 1-3 W. Winter St.

The shots are available for walk-ins and those who make an appointment on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. To make an appointment, call 740-368-1700. To schedule at a community clinic, visit DelawareHealth.org.

There is a COVID-19 Booster Breakdown chart on the health district’s website and Facebook page that shows who should get the booster shot, based on the original dose they received.

“When the COVID-19 vaccine was developed, we knew we were likely going to need to administer ‘booster’ vaccines — that is, another injection to help COVID-19 immunity last longer,” said Robert Weber of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in an article written on Oct. 27. “Booster shots are common for many vaccines. The hepatitis B and shingles vaccines, for example, require boosters to achieve optimal immunity.”

On Oct. 27, the ODH said since Jan. 1 there have been 33,565 Ohioans hospitalized who hadn’t been fully vaccinated and 10,172 deaths. In comparison, 1,709 fully-vaccinated people have been hospitalized, with 371 deaths.

Overall, Delaware County remains 14th-most in Ohio with 24,580 cases. There have been 393 residents hospitalized and 171 deaths in the county from the infectious disease. Statewide, there have been 1.5 million cases, with nearly 80,000 hospitalizations, and 24,527 deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been 45.8 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., resulting in 743,410 deaths nationwide. However, more than 422 million vaccines have been administered, and cases and deaths in the U.S. have fallen sharply in the last 30 days.

The Associated Press reported on Nov. 1, “The global death toll from COVID-19 passed 5 million Monday, less than two years into the crisis that has devastated poor nations and humbled wealthy countries.”

Last week, the DPHD again reported Delaware County has two COVID-19 critical factors, which means it is still recommended that everyone — including the fully vaccinated — wear a mask in public indoor settings.

Those failed factors are the level of community transmission (145 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week); and the capacity for early detection of increases in cases (161 new cases per 100,000 county public school staff and students in the past week). Both totals exceeded the 50 or fewer cases needed for a passing grade.

Last week’s COVID-19 report from DPHD said there were 21,979 total cases with 1,074 placed in isolation within the last 10 days; and an average of 21 new cases per day per 100,000 population.

The district’s COVID-19 Monthly Report for October said 94% of the people who have contracted the coronavirus in the county this year were unvaccinated. In addition, 81% of those who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 this year were unvaccinated. Finally, 95% of those who have died from COVID-19 in the county this year were unvaccinated.

The report also said that from Sept. 26-Oct. 9, there were cases ranging from 80 years and older to children 9 and under, with the most cases being reported among the 10-19 age group.

The DPHD still has a “School Drive-Thru” flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinic which is open to the public: Olentangy Orange High School, 2840 E. Orange Road, Lewis Center, from 4-6 p.m. Nov. 3.

Appointments are required for the drive-thru clinic, as are identification and insurance cards. To schedule, visit https://forms.delawarehealth.org/Forms/flucovid and use code flucovid2021, then click submit at the end of the form and check your email for confirmation.

There is also a flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinic (appointments only) at the 7th annual Fight Against Hunger Games, 10:30 a.m.-noon Nov. 23 at the former DACC North Building.