Evening Briefing: Vaccine, J&J, Pfizer

Good evening, Ohio. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.

Your Weather Planner

As skies clear overnight, temperatures plummet, with most of our overnight lows in the low to mid 20s. The good news, though, is that with sunny skies in your Friday forecast, temperatures will start to rebound. Instead of 30s, we’ll see highs back in the 40s tomorrow, with much milder air returning this weekend. 

Tomorrow’s Forecast

Cleveland | Columbus | Cincinnati | Dayton | Toledo

Today’s Big Stories

1. Ohio Will Immunize College Students With J&J Starting Next Week

The state will offer Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine doses to Ohio’s colleges and universities next week, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday afternoon.

2. Ohio Had Big Plans for Halted Johnson & Johnson Doses

Johnson & Johnson confirmed millions of doses were ruined at a production plant in Baltimore, and many of Ohio’s future plans revolved around the vaccine, including distributing the doses to college students before summer break. It’s not entirely known how this will affect Ohio’s vaccine distributors, but health districts and mass vaccination sites are ready to switch gears when necessary. 

3. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine 91% Effective At Least 6 Months After 2nd Dose

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Thursday that its vaccine is more than 90% effective six months after the second dose. Data also shows the vaccine is highly effective against the variant discovered in South Africa, which officials say is highly contagious.

4. Ohio University Launches Anti-Hazing Letter-Writing Campaign

More than two years after an Ohio University student died as a result of hazing at a fraternity house, the school is taking a stand against hazing. Eighteen Ohio schools will be able to participate in a letter-writing campaign that will ask lawmakers to support “Collin’s Law,” an anti-hazing bill.

Your Notes for Tomorrow

• Monthly unemployment report released. 
• President Biden will spend weekend at Camp David. 
• NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four
• Good Friday
• Second Couple in LA for the weekend
• Regal Cinemas begin phased reopening