5 things to know about the coronavirus today: Vaccines arrive in Springfield

It is Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 and these are five things to know about the coronavirus pandemic today.

Vaccines arrive in Springfield

On Tuesday, Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center received 975 doses of coronavirus vaccine. The first to receive the vaccine in Clark County was a cardiovascular ICU unit nurse, with a different Springfield nurse from the progressive care unit receiving a vaccine during Gov. Mike DeWine’s coronavirus press briefing.

More vaccines to come later this month and January

Ohio expects to receive 660,000 doses of the vaccine in December and the same amount again in January. The vaccines should reach all of the state’s 88 counties and “virtually every hospital in the state” next week, DeWine said. Ohio is expected to receive more than 420,000 coronavirus vaccines by Christmas.

Ohio Attorney General warns of vaccine scams

As Ohio begins to distribute coronavirus vaccines, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost warned to watch out for scammers posing as distributors, providers or local health departments. Scammers might claim to need personal information to get on a list the receive the vaccine, or might pretend to be able to help consumers jump to the front of the line to receive the vaccine but ask for advance payment to secure places in line.

Schools change to remote return after break

Schools are working on plans to return from winter break, and both Dayton Public Schools and Lakota Schools have decided to resume classes remotely, at least at first. Dayton Public Schools will resume classes Jan. 4, but only online for seven weeks. Lakota Schools will return to virtual classes only starting Jan 5, with students returning to classrooms on Jan. 19.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra moves annual concert online

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra has changed its annual Christmas tour to a livestream concert on Friday, Dec. 18, of an updated version of the group’s breakthrough show, “Christmas Eve and Other Stories.” Tickets are $30, and the program continues streaming on demand through midnight on Dec. 20.

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