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WEEK IN REVIEW
Friday, September 17, 2021
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Week in Review
For the week ending September 17, 2021
 Lt. Governor Husted sits down for a roundtable discussion with business owners while in Springfield.
On Tuesday, Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted traveled to the Springfield Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for a tour and roundtable discussion with business owners to mark Small Business Week. SBDCs?provide business counseling and assistance to individuals who are either starting or growing?their business.
Each center is staffed with highly trained Certified Business Advisors? (CBAs) to help?small businesses and entrepreneurs with development and growth to increase sales and create jobs in?their local communities.
 Governor DeWine gestures to the latest mask requirement percentages in Ohio schools.
Also on Tuesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined the Ohio Children's Hospitals Association in a direct appeal to school superintendents to require masks for staff and students during the current surge of the coronavirus.?
The plea was made during a virtual meeting with superintendents and the clinical leadership from six Ohio children's hospitals including Dayton Children?s Hospital,?ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children?s Hospital,?Cincinnati Children?s Hospital Medical Center,?Nationwide Children?s Hospital, Akron Children's Hospital, and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.?The recording of the zoom call is available at the Ohio Children?s Hospital Association website.
"The data is now clear that there is a higher level of COVID-19 in school districts where masks are not required," said Governor DeWine. "If we want our schools to stay open, the best way to do that is for those 12 and over to get vaccinated. But because those under 12 are still too young to be vaccinated, we need students who come in to school to wear a mask until we get through this."?
Data that support this appeal include:?
- Since August 15, 2021, there have been 29,823?Ohio school-aged kids?ages 5 to 17?with confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19.
- Cases among this age group increased 198 percent from the week of August 15th as?compared to the week ending September 4.
- As reported yesterday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, COVID-19 cases among children have increased 240 percent nationally since early July when the Delta variant began to surge. During that same period in Ohio, there has been a?2000 percent?increase in cases among Ohio children.
- COVID-19 cases are increasing at nearly twice the rate among school-aged kids as compared to the rest of the population. This past week Ohio saw a 44 percent increase among school-aged children and only a 17 percent increase among the rest of the population.
- Over the two-week period ending September 4, 2021, there was an average of 909 cases per 100,000 school-aged Ohio kids versus 561 cases per 100,000 people comprising the rest of the population.?
- The 16 days with the highest number of cases per day throughout the entire pandemic for kids aged 5 to 17 in Ohio have all been in the last 19 days. This includes every day except the three days of the Labor Day weekend.
- In Ohio school districts where masks are optional, among school-aged kids, there are both higher case rates per 100,000?at 945.7 and a greater week-over-week increase in cases. School districts where masks are optional have seen a 54 percent week-over-week increase compared to a 34 percent increase in school districts where masks are either required for all or required for some (usually K-8th?grade).
Governor DeWine later announced that nearly 58% of Ohio?s public K-12 students are required by their local school to wear masks in schools. On September 1,?only 35% of Ohio students were required to wear a mask.
?I am pleased to see more school superintendents and school boards make the right decision and require masks to protect students and teachers from COVID-19 spread,? said Governor DeWine. ?We share a common goal of ensuring kids are in school, in person, five days a week. While vaccinations remain the best protection against severe COVID-19 cases, masking will help protect those that can?t yet receive the vaccine and adds another layer of protection for those that have.?
On Wednesday, Governor DeWine spoke to members of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Ohio celebrating the accomplishments of Ohio?s small businesses and reminding business owners of the many programs and initiatives offered by the state to support them.
?Ohio?s economy is tied to the success of our small businesses, so it?s in our best interests to go forward together. What is good for Ohio?s 982,000 small businesses is good for Ohio,? said Governor DeWine.
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 Lt. Governor Husted learns how the manufacturing of baseball bats works during his tour of Phoenix Bats.
Also on Wednesday,?Lt. Governor Husted traveled to Phoenix Bats in Plain City to celebrate Small Business Week. Phoenix Bats is one of more than 982,000 small businesses in the state. The company specializes?in the manufacturing of baseball bats and is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.?
 The Ohio Redistricting Commission meets for final discussions before taking a vote on the district maps.
Additionally, on Wednesday, the Ohio Redistricting Commission voted and approved new state House and Senate district maps, which will remain in place for four years.
 Lt. Governor Husted speaks with students, businesses, superintendents, school administrators, and parents about skilled trades and career pathways.
On Thursday,?Lt. Governor Husted visited the Ottawa County Business Advisory Council and Skilled Trades Academy in Oak Harbor where he spoke with students, businesses, superintendents, school administrators, and parents about the importance of the skilled trades and the many career pathways available to students.?
 Governor DeWine and Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director of Ohio Department of Health, spoke to members of the media at several airports in, or near, Ohio.
On Friday,?Governor DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director?Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D. held media availabilities in?Wheeling, West Virginia; Parkersburg, West Virginia; and Minford, Ohio?where they discussed the increasing COVID-19 cases in the region and the impact that it is having on Ohio?s health care system.
As of?Friday, there have been 1,336,061 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio. Additionally, 21,471 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths have occurred. A total of 69,729 people have been hospitalized, including 9,186 admissions to intensive care units.
CASE DATA/VACCINE INFORMATION
In-depth COVID-19 data for Ohio:?coronavirus.ohio.gov.?
Ohio's central scheduling system:?gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov
Ohio mass vaccination information:?coronavirus.ohio.gov/massvaccinationclinics
All vaccine providers:?vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov
More vaccine information:?coronavirus.ohio.gov/vaccine
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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MEDIA CONTACT:
Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
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