Governor DeWine COVID-19 Banner [ [link removed] ]

*WEEK IN REVIEW*
Friday, October 23, 2020

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Week in Review

"For the week ending October 23, 2020"



Throughout the week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine was joined by Lt. Governor Jon Husted,and provided updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other state initiatives.

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On *Tuesday [ [link removed] ]*,Governor DeWine announced that hospitals across Ohio are currently treating 1,221 COVID-19 patients which is the most hospitalized patients at one time since the start of the pandemic. A total of 216 of these hospitalizations were reported in the previous 24 hours which is the highest number of hospitalizations reported in a single day and more than 50 hospitalizations more than the previous high in mid-July.

Ohio is also recording an increase in ICU admissions and ventilator utilization.

Hospitalizations

"So far, Ohio's hospitals still haveadequate remaining capacity to care for everyone who is sick, butour hospitalizations are already breaking records, and we are not seeing any signs of Ohio's case numbers slowing down," said Governor DeWine. "If we dont buckle down, wear our masks, and take care of each other, I am very concerned that our hospitals will begin to fill up. We pushed this virus down before, and it's up to all of us to do it again."

Ohio also reported 2,015 new COVID-19 cases since Monday, October 19.Sixty-nine of Ohio's 88 counties have a high incidence of COVID-19 spread [ [link removed] ], meaning their rate of cases is more than 100 cases per 100,000 population in the past two weeks.

*SOCIAL GATHERINGS*

The White House Coronavirus Task Force strongly recommends that Ohioans limit gatherings with family and friends to prevent the virus from spreading to those most at risk of complications. The recommendation follows the increase in community spread in Ohio initiated by small social gatherings.

"Its the same thing Im hearing when I speak with county health commissioners. They are seeing the most spread in Ohio from informal gatherings," said Governor DeWine. "We cant let our guard down; we must keep our masks on."

Governor DeWine also urged caution for sports fans who gather this weekend to watch the Ohio State, Browns, and Bengals football games.

*$1.3 BILLION GOING TO OHIO BUSINESSES*

Dividend checks from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation will be mailed to employers beginning this week. The dividend amount totals approximately $1.3 billion.

The money is being given back to employers in response to Governor DeWine's request in August that the Ohio BWC Board of Directors approve a second dividend to provide financial support for public and private employers impacted by the ongoing pandemic.

These checks will be mailed to employers throughout the end of October.

A wide-ranging program to address the needs of struggling Ohioans, including funding for rent, mortgages, and water and sewer utility bills, as well as funding for small businesses and nonprofits, will be announced in the near future.

*OHSAA UPDATE*

Lt. Governor Jon Husted provided an update from the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) on the status of high school fall sports.

OHSAA Observers have attended 458 sites, including 600 football games, at least 50 volleyball matches, and at least 50 soccer matches over the course of eight weeks.

The OHSAA provides reports to the schools following the competitions to serve as an educational opportunity for the school to improve.

*LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY DASHBOARD*

Ohio's new long-term care facility dashboard is now available atcoronavirus.ohio.gov [ [link removed] ]. The new dashboard outlines visitation information at nursing facilities across the state.Those with loved ones in a nursing facility can search for information by county or facility to find information on the types of visits that are offered and when they are permitted.Nursing facilities were permitted to allow indoor visitations beginning October 12.

Details regarding the visitation guidelines for Ohios intermediate care facilities can be found in apublic health order [ [link removed] ]issued on September 24. Visitation at intermediate care facilities was permitted to resume on September 28.

*VACCINE PROVIDER REGISTRATION*

Governor DeWine announced that Ohio has submitted its Interim Draft COVID-19 Vaccine Plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Theplan is a framework on how Ohio will proceed once a vaccine is available. The plan will be available tomorrow atcoronavirus.ohio.gov [ [link removed] ].

The Ohio Department of Health will also be launching a new registration tool for health care providers who would like to eventually administer the COVID-19 vaccine.Providers, such as local health departments, hospitals, pharmacies, and nursing facilities, will be notified soon with instructions about how they can register.

*TEST RESULT REPORTING*

The Ohio Department of Health has developed a technology solution to allow their systems to track negative test results. In response, Interim Director of Health Lance Himes amended a directive that now requires all labs to start sharing all positive, negative, inconclusive, and invalid test results related to COVID-19 tests with the Ohio Department of Health.

Previously, labs were reporting positive COVID-19 results at the individual level and as an aggregate count for all other test results.

"Adding these categories will allow us to gather additional data for a more complete picture of how COVID is spreading in our communities," said Governor DeWine. "This will also allow us to provide positivity data by county in the coming weeks."

*FLU SHOTS*

Governor DeWine once again urged Ohio citizens to get their flu shots this year. A person can become infected with both the flu virus and coronavirus at the same time.

If you become ill this season, many healthcare providers will test for both flu and COVID-19 to get a proper diagnosis. While the symptoms can be similar, COVID-19 is more serious, its symptoms last longer, those hospitalized tend to have longer hospital stays, and the virus has a higher mortality rate.

FluCovid________________________________________________________________________

Also on *Tuesday* [ [link removed] ], Governor DeWine signed House Bill 8.House Bill 8 [ [link removed] ], sponsored by Representatives Susan Manchester and Tavia Galonski, modernizes foster care training by offering greater flexibility to respond to foster caregiver needs, as well as helping to better recruit and retain foster parents.

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On *Thursday [ [link removed] ]*, Governor DeWine released Ohio's updated Public Health Advisory Systemmap. New health data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health found that 38 counties currently have a very high risk of exposure and spread (Red Level 3), up from 29 counties last week. This represents the highest number of Red Level 3 counties since the launch of the advisory system in July. As of today, 92.8 percent of Ohioans are living in a county that is Red Level 3 and/or high incidence. Only 1 percent of Ohioans live in a Yellow Level 1 county.

"For my fellow Ohioans who have felt that until now this virus really did not impact their lives or their families and that they would react when the situation got really serious - I say to them that the time is now. Now is the time to take this seriously," said Governor DeWine. "We need you. We need you to be fully engaged in this battle. The virus is spreading fast and has penetrated deeply into virtually every county in the state. We all must fight back."

updatedmap

Three counties are currently on Ohio's Watch List, meaning that they are approaching Purple Level 4: Clark, Cuyahoga, and Hamilton counties.

Since the previous day, an additional 2,425 new COVID-19 cases had been reported, the highest number of new cases in any 24-day reporting period since the start of the pandemic.Of the top 10 days with the most newly reported cases, eight occurred over the recent 9-day span, and nine have occurred in October.

According to local health departments across the state, spread is primarily occurring during social and family gatherings. Many counties are also seeing a sustained increase in hospitalizations.

A county-by-county breakdown outlining the presence of COVID-19 in all of Ohio's 88 counties can be found on theOhio Public Health Advisory System's website. [ [link removed] ]

Hospital

*DON'T LET UP*

Governor DeWine unveileda new advertisement [ [link removed] ] that will begin airing across the state to serve as a visual reminder of how quickly COVID-19 can domino out of control.

PSA [ [link removed] ]

*FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE*

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie virtually joined Thursday's public briefing to discuss his recent diagnosis with COVID-19.Governor Christie spent a week in ICU fighting the disease.

Governor Christie said, in part:

"I thought I was safe, and I was wrong. I took my mask off, and I left it off, but only for the time that I was inside the White House gates. Three days later I began to feel what I call the freight train of symptoms that happen with COVID-19 - fever, headaches, incredible body aches, chills, sweats, and it overcame me in a period of 24 hours. I had gone from feeling fine and doing my work on a Friday afternoon to by Saturday at 1:00 being admitted to the hospital and taken immediately to the intensive care unit where I stayed for the next six and a half days.

"I want everyone to understand that this is one of the most unpredictable, random, and brutal viruses you'll ever see. My message to the people of Ohio and the people of this country is that there is no place to hide from this virus if you are not going to take the common-sense steps recommended to us: wear a mask when you're outside, remain socially distant from people, no big crowds, and wash your hands frequently.

"I just want to urge as many people as I can, don't let your guard down. It's not worth it. I made a huge mistake by taking that mask off. It's something I hope no other Americans have to go through.

"One of the things I think people don't understand about this disease - because it's so random and because so little is understood - is that when you're there and going through it, the psychological effect it has on you is significant. You start to think about life and death. It's like getting beaten up from the inside out, and that combination of physical and psychological stress - it's unique in my life and pretty extraordinary.

"I know how tired everyone is of this, I felt it myself, but as tired as you are of strapping that mask on or going to the sink and washing those hands again - you will take those days in a heartbeat compared to getting this disease."

Governor Christie's full interview is available on theOhio Channel's YouTube page [ [link removed] ].

*#DaytonMASKots*

Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced the launch of the Dayton MASKots campaign facilitated through the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce to slow the spread of the coronavirus while supporting Ohio sports.

This campaign challenges team mascots around the region and state to mask up and post a picture of their mascot with a mask on. This could be for a K-12 school, college or university, or other sports team.

Ohioans can use the hashtag #DaytonMASKots to join this effort.

*APPRENTICEOHIO*

The Lt. Governor also announced that Ohio recently received two RAPIDS apprenticeship rankings: number four in the U.S. for number of apprentices and number one among the 28 states with state apprenticeship systems.

Ohio offers apprenticeship opportunities in traditional fields such as construction and manufacturing and in non-traditional apprenticeship fields such as IT and healthcare. ApprenticeOhio programs provide full-time work during the training period as well as decent wages so Ohioans can earn while they learn.

More information can be found atApprentice.Ohio.gov [ [link removed] ].

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Also on* Thursday [ [link removed] ]*, Governor DeWine signed Senate Bill 163.Senate Bill 163 [ [link removed] ], sponsored by Senator Stephanie Kunze, creates 33 new specialty Ohio license plates to raise awareness and funding for Ohio nonprofits, universities, and local schools. The bill also allows for proration of registration costs for hybrid and electric vehicles.

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On*Friday*, Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted announced that the administration, in partnership with the General Assembly, is developing a package of more than $419.5 million CARES Act funding to help Ohioans. This package includes funding for small businesses, restaurants and bars, hospitals, higher education, arts, nonprofits, and low-income Ohioans impacted financially by the pandemic.

We know that Ohioans are hurting, and the needs are great. We must do what we can to help them through this crisis, said Governor DeWine. Providing financial support to small businesses, the arts, and nonprofits will help them keep the doors open and Ohioans employed. For Ohioans in need, this assistance will help them stay in their homes, which can make all the difference.

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As of Friday, there are 192,948 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 5,184 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 17,866 people have been hospitalized, including 3,682 admissions to intensive care units.In-depth data can be accessed by visitingcoronavirus.ohio.gov [ [link removed] ].

For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visitcoronavirus.ohio.gov [ [link removed] ]or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.

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*MEDIA CONTACT:*
Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957



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