Scioto County reported its second case of Coronavirus today. But Ohio’s Coronavirus cases aren’t rising as fast as originally feared. There is potential for hot spots to pop up at correctional facilities. The Governor also pleased with hospitals to recycle PPE and warned that “normal” may not ever look the same again. I’ve got the lasted on the pandemic.
COVID Numbers
- Cases: 5148
- Hospitalizations: 1,495
- ICU Admissions – 472
- Deaths -193
- Inmates – 17
- Corrections staff – 48
- Tested – 53,341
Take these numbers with a grain of salt. Ohio can currently only test the sickest individuals and those working on the front lines, the total number of cases is most certainly higher. The Scioto County and Portsmouth Health Departments are reminding people not call them to ask about the positive cases in the county.
Governor Mike DeWine said COVID-19 is a growing problem within Ohio’s prisons. So far 17 inmates and 48 members of corrections staff have tested positive for the virus. He announced the death of Mansfield Corrections Officer John Dawson, who passed away from COVID-19 at the age of 55.
DeWine said the state is aggressively testing prisons at prisons. So far, 72 inmates have been tested.
Dr. Amy Acton said, “We talk a lot about numbers here. I always feel strange saying them. These are people. People with stories.”
She encouraged people to keep up social distancing. “We were one of the first states in. We want to be one of the first states out.”
Dr. Acton said original predictions for the virus surge were 9800 new cases daily. New predictions are for 1600 new cases a day. “You have squashed that. You did that.”
She also encouraged those celebrating Passover and Easter to consider virtual celebrations. “Please, please, please do this in a way that keeps us all safe.
Please Recycle Masks
Governor DeWine said there is still a critical shortage of masks and other medical protective equipment. “We do not have PPE for every Ohioan that needs it. There is some good news. Battelle now has the ability to recycle 160,000 masks a day. It’s important because we don’t have enough masks. We have people working in nursing homes that don’t have masks. We have first responders who don’t have masks. We have people in hospitals wearing masks much longer than protocol suggests.”
He said he was working hard to get masks in fro China but was making a plea to all hospitals to recycle masks. “I would say to everyone who has these masks, it’s important to recycle them. When you do not do that, you are denying somebody else a mask. I appeal to our hospitals to send those masks to Battelle.”
Thank Yous
The Governor gave shout-outs to tech giant Apple and the Ohio National Guard
DeWine said, “The CEO of Apple gave us 100,000 N-95 Masks. We thank Apple. We Thank Tim Cook. Those 100,000 masks will be well used. I want to thank Jobs Ohio and One Columbus for making the connection to Apple.”
He also offered thanks to the National Guard and its members for their hard work distributing food to food banks, work expanding hospital capacity, and work inventorying and redistributing PPE.
Please Report Child Abuse
Governor DeWine and Dr. Acton called on people to keep reporting child abuse.
He said, “Many times those who report abuse are mandatory reporters. Some of the people who do the best reporting are teachers. With kids not in physical buildings. I’d like to ask everyone else to be vigilant. Repots are down. I think we can fairly say abuse is not down. If you’re aware of a situation, report it.”
Dr. Acton said that she was was a victim of child abuse herself. “Please, please, please keep reporting.”
Call 855-O-H-CHILD (855-642-4453) to report abuse.
We’ll have a new normal
Lt. Governor Jon Husted warned Ohio that getting back to normal won’t happen overnight. “There will be many thoughtful decisions on what we must do to stop a second surge. It will be a gradual pull-back of restrictions as we try to get back to normal.”
He said that the emphasis on hand-washing and sanitizing surfaces will continue. “Masks, gloves will become more common. Don’t be offended if you don’t get handshakes or hugs for a while.”
Ohioans can expect to be told to avoid crowds and crowded areas for quite some time. “We aren’t going to want people to congregate, even when we begin to restart things. Vulnerable populations will still have to take care to protect themselves.”