OSTEOFACTS | Take Action to Protect Ohioans; Hospitalizations Remain High

October 8, 2021

	Take Action! HB 435, which weakens Ohio’s vaccination laws and undermines ongoing pandemic recovery efforts, is now being considered by the House of Representatives Commerce & Labor Committee. Last week, House leadership scheduled the bill for a floor vote but canceled it after an outcry from 100+ business and health care organizations, including the OOA. The OOA submitted opposition testimony this week to the C&L Committee. HB 435 makes it easier to opt out of COVID-19 mandates, limits an employer’s ability to mandate the vaccine as a condition of employment, and prohibits schools and universities from requiring a student to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for which the FDA has not issued a biologics license. Please take action to protect Ohioans! Contact your state representative and urge them to oppose HB 435.
	Lawmakers Support Masks in Schools, Split on Vaccination Almost 60% of Ohio lawmakers said school districts should be able to require students and teachers to wear masks. Lawmakers who responded to the Gongwer-Werth Legislative Opinion Poll were evenly split, at 47%-47%, on whether state universities should be able to require vaccines for students and employees. The survey also showed that 68% of respondents said businesses should be able to require vaccines for employees, compared to 26% who said they should not. Democrats universally said the authority should exist, with 50% of Republican respondents agreeing. Of Republican legislators, 42% said businesses should not be able to require vaccines for employees. The Poll is a recurring survey of the Ohio General Assembly to gather data about how members view the legislative and policy issues facing them. Answers are anonymous.
	Hospitalizations Remain High, Cases Slightly Fall Ohio Department of Health (ODH) data released yesterday shows a second straight week of declining COVID-19 cases in the state. By CDC standards the spread is still high at 560 cases per 100,000 people. On Monday, ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, urged pregnant women to get vaccinated, citing a 70% increased risk of death. According to the CDC, 97% of pregnant patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report showing that COVID-19 vaccinations in Ohio may have helped prevent roughly 13,000 new infections; 5,300 hospitalizations; and 1,800 deaths among seniors in Ohio during the first five months of 2021. The study also found that nationally, vaccinations were linked to a reduction of approximately 265,000 COVID-19 infections; 107,000 hospitalizations; and 39,000 deaths among Medicare beneficiaries between January and May 2021. Ohio data shows that of those who were hospitalized with COVID-19 since January 2021, more than 96 percent were not fully vaccinated. As of this afternoon, 63.58% of eligible Ohioans (age 12 and up) have started the vaccine process.
	Certifying Board Services Update - Application Deadlines Deadlines are quickly approaching for AOA Board Certification applications. Upcoming deadlines are listed below for October and November. American Osteopathic Board of Neurology & Psychiatry Initial certification exams – Oct. 8 (final deadline) American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology Initial written exam – Oct. 10 (final deadline) Initial subspecialty certification exams – Nov. 8 (first deadline) Initial certification oral exam – Nov. 27 (first deadline) American Osteopathic Board of Ophthalmology & Otolaryngology OCC exams – Oct. 12 (first deadline) American Osteopathic Board of Anesthesiology Primary and subspecialty OCC exams – Oct. 15 (final deadline) Pain Medicine Initial and OCC exams - Oct. 20 (final deadline) American Osteopathic Board of Radiology Initial primary and subspecialty written exams - Oct. 22 (final deadline) Addiction Medicine Initial and OCC exams – Oct. 24 (final deadline) American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians Early Entry Initial Certification (EEIC) exams – Oct. 31 (first deadline) American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery Initial certification oral exams - Oct. 31 (final deadline) For questions on exam application deadlines, contact Chaunessie Baggett at CBaggett@osteopathic.org.
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