Throughout the week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted provided updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other state initiatives
On Monday, Governor DeWine issued the following statement regarding the news that United States Senator Rob Portman would not seek re-election:
?Senator Portman has worked tirelessly on behalf of Ohioans during his two terms in the United States Senate. Senator Portman has been a key partner on helping Ohio with federal COVID-19 relief and other pandemic-related issues. Senator Portman and I have had similar policy priorities to help Ohio families, from tackling the Opioid crisis and the scourge of human trafficking to protecting Lake Erie and Ohio?s other natural wonders. Fran and I wish Rob and Jane and their family the best in their future endeavors.?
Also on Monday, Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted were joined by the Ohio Development Services Agency (DSA), JobsOhio, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, The MetroHealth System, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, City of Cleveland, and state legislators to unveil the Cleveland Innovation District. The Cleveland Innovation District brings together Northeast Ohio?s world-class healthcare providers and education institutions with the goal of creating a pathogen center with global reach to improve the lives of millions of people and to generate more than 20,000 jobs in Ohio over 10 years.
The Cleveland Innovation District will be a center of excellence that acts as a catalyst for ongoing investment in Northeast Ohio, including the attraction of businesses and the talent needed to keep the state competitive in healthcare and IT.
?The Cleveland Innovation District creates partnerships across different sectors of the economy and positions Ohio as a competitive place to invest in,? said Governor Mike DeWine. ?Each of the Cleveland Innovation District partners bring unique skills and areas of expertise.? Having these institutions partner together will help Ohio emerge as a leader in healthcare and IT nationally and globally.?
The Innovation District will be a point of collaboration among healthcare, higher education, and business institutions, creating significant research, development, and job opportunities. The Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health?s focus will be on research and innovation regarding pathogens, both current and future health threats.?
Also on Monday,?Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted announced the approval of assistance for six projects set to create 2,423 new jobs and retain 18,458 jobs statewide. During its monthly meeting, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority (TCA) reviewed economic development proposals brought to the board by JobsOhio and its regional partners. Collectively, the projects are expected to result in more than $173 million in new payroll and spur more than $347 million in investments across Ohio.
On Tuesday, Governor DeWine announced a new plan for Ohio's 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew that is contingent on the hospital utilization statewide.?
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has recommended that Ohio's curfew be amended to 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. when COVID-related hospital utilization drops below 3,500 for seven consecutive days. Since hospitalizations remained at this level for the seventh day on Wednesday, ODH director Stephanie McCloud signed a health order to reflect this change for at least two weeks.
If hospital utilization subsequently drops below 3,000 for seven consecutive days, Ohio's curfew would be amended to 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. for at least two weeks. If hospitalizations drops below 2,500 for seven consecutive days, the Ohio Department of Health would recommend lifting the curfew.?
If, at any point, the number of COVID-related hospitalizations begins to rise, health officials could reinstitute the appropriate curfew measures.
"When our COVID hospitalizations are above 2,500, which is more than three times Ohio's peak in a typical flu season, our hospitals strain in their ability to deliver other care, especially routine diagnostic and procedural care," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, ODH's Chief Medical Officer. "When cases are above 3,500, our hospitals are highly stressed as evidenced by local and regional diversions and the greater need for transfers."
VACCINE UPDATE
Ohio has been averaging about 146,000 first doses coming into Ohio every week. As Ohio's Phase 1A begins to wind down, more doses will be available for those in Phase 1B.
Ohio is second in the nation for the number of people vaccinated in nursing homes, however,?because not all residents and staff are choosing to receive the vaccine, Ohio will begin directing approximately 77,000?vaccines set aside to use in nursing homes to others in Phase 1A and 1B.?
Ohio has put focus on vaccinating members of the public living in congregate settings because these individuals are especially vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. In Ohio's state-run developmental centers, 89 percent of residents have accepted the vaccine;?73 percent of long-term patients?in state-run psychiatric hospitals?have accepted the vaccine; a total of 92 percent of veterans in state-run veterans homes have accepted the vaccine. Of those with developmental disabilities not living in state-run facilities, 5,500 people have been vaccinated so far.
SCHOOL STAFF VACCINES
Next week, Ohio will make vaccine available to 91,000 K-12 teachers and school personnel who?are necessary to provide in-person education to students. Like other groups eligible in Phase 1B of Ohio's vaccination program, this will be a rolling process beginning with Cincinnati Public Schools which will begin offering vaccinations to their staff later this week.?
Due to the scarcity of vaccine, the process will take weeks, but Ohio?s goal is to have all first doses administered by the end of February.? To be eligible to receive vaccine, districts had to commit to remaining or returning to in-person learning full-time or in a hybrid model by March 1.?
Governor DeWine announced that, in pursuit of fairness and equity in the distribution of the scarce vaccines, Ohio will be delivering vaccines directly into affordable senior housing locations?starting the week of February 8.??These senior housing facilities are home to several thousand older Ohioans throughout the state and are often residential clusters with apartment buildings ranging in units from 30 to over 200.?
The Ohio Department of Health will be working with local partners to offer assistance through onsite clinics.?These clinics will help ease the burden for many seniors having trouble navigating the registration process and arranging transportation.
PFIZER VACCINE DOSES
In many instances, a vial of the Pfizer vaccine can provide six vaccine doses. Some vaccine providers have been able to extract this sixth dose as much as 90 percent of the time based on technique and supplies. These supplies, however, have had limited availability nationally.?The key to getting the sixth dose is having access to syringes with low or zero dead volume and, when clinically appropriate, using a one-inch vaccine needle.?
The Ohio Department of Health surveyed best practices across the state and have determined that it is possible to reliably extract a sixth dose using a hybrid model of traditional syringes for four doses and the less-available low dead volume syringes for doses five and six.??
This approach conserves limited special syringe supply. The Ohio Department of Health will be working with vaccine providers to share this information and provide further guidance to assist them with implementation.
OHIO-BASED COMPANY ON FRONT LINES OF VACCINE DISTRIBUTION
Lt. Governor Jon Husted highlighted a company out of Athens, Ohio, that has become a critical component of the nation?s vaccine distribution infrastructure. Stirling Ultracold manufactures one-of-kind, portable Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) freezers, which are used to transfer the vaccines from the manufacturer to local hospitals, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers to safely store until being administered.
During Tuesday's press conference, Lt. Governor Husted presented the portable freezer, which is capable of storing both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for extended periods of time. The freezer is currently set at -71? C (-95.8? F).
The company is headquartered in Athens, Ohio, where its technology was developed and where the products are manufactured today.?Stirling Ultracold has expanded its employee base by 30 percent over the last three months and now employs 200 Ohioans.??
JobsOhio and the Ohio Development Service Agency provided critical early support for Stirling Ultracold to be able to grow and accelerate its manufacturing capability to help in the vaccination effort.
TECHCRED APPLICATION CLOSING
Lt. Governor Husted also reminded businesses, both big and small, that the January TechCred application closes on January 29 at 3:00 p.m. TechCred helps Ohioans obtain new skills and improves Ohio?s workforce by reimbursing employers up to $2,000 for each technology-focused credential earned by a current or prospective employee.
On Tuesday, Lt. Governor Husted joined US Ignite and Spectrum, in partnership with InnovateOhio and DriveOhio, to announce an innovative project with the City of Lima to use smart transportation technology to improve traffic and safety in the community.
?The primary goal Governor DeWine and I envisioned when creating InnovateOhio was to use technology to improve the way Ohioans live their lives,? said Lt. Governor Husted. ?This is a great example of a private-public partnership where technology is being used to create a better transportation system. We will continue to seek new ways to use technology to improve the quality of life for Ohioans, and we look forward to collaborating with DriveOhio on this smart transportation initiative in Lima and beyond.?
On Thursday, Governor DeWine announced that every public school district in the state - except for one - has agreed to resume in-person schooling by March 1 which was a requirement for staff to have early access to the vaccine.
PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON K-12 STUDENTS
Ohio has prioritized getting K-12 students back in schools by March 1 because?many adolescents? social-emotional and mental well-being has been impacted by the pandemic.
"We know some of our students have not been in the classroom in months - it?s taking its toll," said Governor DeWine. "For some, remote learning works, for others, it doesn?t. We are in danger of too many kids struggling for too long if they don?t get back to school in person."
"School is community for our youth," said Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Director Lori Criss. "It benefits kids so much more than academic content. It?s the social and emotional connections that kids feel with friends, classmates, extra-curriculars, teachers, and more."
According to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the change of routine and the constant uncertainty of the pandemic produces anxiety, and the disconnection from learning, emotional, and social supports can lead to depression. In addition, missed significant life events like graduations, proms, art performances, science competitions, sports, and more can result in grief.
Families and friends should reach out for help if a young person is:
talking about feeling hopeless;
worrying about being a burden;
feeling like there?s no reason to live;
using drugs, alcohol or engaging in other risky behaviors;
struggling with school;
disconnecting from family and friends.
Trained counselors with Ohio's CareLine are available 24/7 at 1-800-720-9616.? They can help with a crisis, provide guidance, and connect callers to help in the community.
OHIO PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY SYSTEM
This week's Ohio Public Health Advisory System map shows little change. Hamilton County is no longer listed as a Level 4 (Purple) Public Emergency, but the rest of the state remains the same as last week. A county-by-county breakdown outlining the presence of COVID-19 in all of Ohio's 88 counties can be found on the?Ohio Public Health Advisory System's website.
On Friday,?Ohio K-12 schools, including public, private,?and career-tech entities, learned when their teachers and staff necessary for in-person learning are able to begin receiving vaccines.
?Vaccine is incredibly scarce, and we simply don?t have enough to vaccinate everyone at the same time. Therefore, this will be a rolling process, just like it has been during other vaccination phases, with a goal of administering all first doses by March 1st,? said Governor DeWine. ?This rollout schedule is a heavy logistical lift that aims to ensure the maximum number of people can be vaccinated in the shortest amount of time.?
Also on?Friday, Governor DeWine signed Executive Order 2021-02D?to enhance Ohio's work to respond to and prevent human trafficking.
The order expands the Ohio Governor's?Human Trafficking Task Force?to include five additional state agencies that will?assist the task force in pursuing new, strategic, and comprehensive strategies to combat human trafficking.?The new task force agencies include:?
Ohio Department of Commerce???
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
Ohio Department of Transportation
State Medical Board of Ohio
?Ohio's Human Trafficking Task Force has worked aggressively to implement lasting and effective strategies to identify and serve victims through our state systems,? said Governor DeWine. ?The expansion of the task force will strengthen Ohio's coordinated state-level response to human trafficking to ensure that survivors have access to services and that traffickers are brought to justice.?
The new order also directs the task force to collaborate with the administration's Children's Initiative and RecoveryOhio Initiative and instructs?the task force to establish updated priorities and to evaluate current policies to identify gaps and solutions.
In carrying out these activities, the task force will continue to focus on identifying sex and labor trafficking and on building capacity of state systems to serve survivors inclusive of men, women, and children, both foreign and domestic.
On Saturday, Governor Mike DeWine released the Lead Advisory Committee?s final report, which includes recommendations to protect Ohio?s children from lead poisoning.
?Every child deserves to live up to his or her full potential, but too many children?s opportunities and dreams are stifled by lead poisoning,? said Governor DeWine. ?I'm grateful to the members of the Lead Advisory Committee for their time, expertise, and tireless efforts to protect Ohio?s children from lead poisoning.?
The advisory committee, formed in late 2019, includes a wide range of professionals from public health, medicine, housing, construction trades, and state and local governments. Members were tasked with developing recommendations to prevent and treat lead poisoning, and advise on the state?s efforts to address lead hazards.
The 21 recommendations address:
Education and Outreach;
Data Collection and Sharing;
Lead Hazard Control; and
Workforce.
The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Development Services Agency, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and Ohio Department of Health will now prioritize the implementation of these recommendations.
Also on Friday, Governor DeWine announced two appointments to fill judicial vacancies, among other appointments to boards and commissions.
Adolfo Tornichio has been appointed to the Greene County Court of Common Pleas, General Division.
Tornichio, of Beavercreek, will assume office on March 1, 2021, and will be replacing Judge Michael Buckwalter, who was elected to another Court of Common Pleas, General Division, judgeship in Greene County. Tornichio's appointed term will expire on February 8, 2023.
Robert H. Lyons has been appointed to the Butler County Court.
Lyons, of?West Chester, will assume office on February 8, 2021, and will be replacing Judge Daniel E. Haughey, who was elected to the Butler County Court of Common Pleas in November. Lyons' term as the Butler County Area III Court Judge will expire on December 31, 2022.
As of Friday, there have been 888,590 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 11,070 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 45,952 people have been hospitalized, including 6,667 admissions to intensive care units.?
For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit?coronavirus.ohio.gov?or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.
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