COLUMBUS, Ohio — The number of COVID-19 cases in Ohio continues to move further away from the metric Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, has set to remove all restrictions. At the same time, the governor said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is still not ready to be an option for Ohioans.

Ohioans hoping to take off their masks for good did not receive good news Thursday. The case rate for COVID-19 across the state is now 200 cases per 100,000 people during the last two weeks, which is four times the amount DeWine said is needed to remove any restrictions.

During his press conference, DeWine continued to defend the metric he set of 50 cases per 100,000 Ohioans during a two-week period to get rid of the mask mandate.

When asked if he would move off that metric, DeWine responded, "No I'm not going to change that number, but I truly believe that we are going to be able to crowd this virus out."

The governor said he is simply following the experts and believes Ohioans are close to victory as long they win the race to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, as other variants of the virus infiltrate the state, Ohio Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is still not an option to fight it off.

Vanderhoff also gave some assurance as far as the blood clots that were found in the six women across the country and provided some guidance for anyone who received the shot.

"According to the CDC, after a month out from receiving the vaccine, a person's risk of developing this condition is extremely low,” Vanderhoff said. “They advise that if you have receive the J&J vaccine within the last three weeks and you develop a very severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath that you seek medical attention.”

The governor also announced Franklin County is once again purple on the Ohio Public Health Advisory color-coded map, making it the first county in Ohio to turn purple since January.

DeWine said the reason is because hospital admissions and emergency visits have been up substantially during the last two weeks.