We are just over a month into the distribution of the COVID-19 and, according to the Ohio Department of Health, about 5.62 percent of the state’s population has received the vaccine.

On Monday, the age of eligibility drops to 65, allowing more to schedule appointments to receive it. It will also mark the first day the state’s K-12 teachers can receive a vaccine.

Compared to other states, Ohio is about in the middle right now for vaccinations.

While a good start, this figure not as high as neighboring West Virginia, where nearly 10 percent have received a vaccine.

Many have said the key to West Virginia’s early lead is its early decision to base its distribution on locally-owned pharmacies, which account for 50 percent of the field in the state.

President Joe Biden, upon taking office, pledged to ramp up the use of the National Guard to distribute the vaccine across the nation, as well as setting up vaccine clinics in remote and rural areas.

National pharmacy chains like Walmart and CVS are also partnering with the government in this effort.

Hopefully, this will speed up the distribution in many areas.

In the meantime, we would urge officials in Ohio to take a look at what West Virginia is doing. The state shares many similarities with West Virginia, especially in its southern half.

What works across the border could be built on here and give things a boost.