04/03/2020

Today's COVID-19 Update: Governor DeWine Issues New Order

Ninety-one people have died from the disease

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Dr. Amy Acton, MD, MPH, today provided an update on the status of Ohio's response to COVID-19. 

There are 3,312 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 91 deaths. A total of 895 people have been hospitalized, including 288 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov. 

Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign language closed captioning, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel's YouTube page. 

DeWine also announced today that The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is now partnering with the Ohio Department of Health to help increase the availability of testing supplies needed for testing citizens for COVID-19. 

"Because of supply chain problems, we can’t always get the swabs and tubes and transport liquid, and there is also a shortage in the chemicals or reagents necessary to run the tests," said DeWine. "Through this new partnership, we are working to get these resources and provide them to those conducting the testing." 

Husted announced today that Battelle and JobsOhio have partnered to provide free N95 mask sanitizing for hospitals for the next two weeks. Last week, after urging from DeWine and Husted, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of new Battelle technology to sanitize these masks for reuse. 

Ohio still faces a critical shortage of PPE. Anyone with possible items to donate should email a state representative. Manufacturers that may be able to temporarily repurpose to create PPE are asked to visit repurposingproject.com.

Additionally, DeWine announced he will recommend the early release of 38 prison inmates.

The inmates fall into two categories: 

• Pregnant inmates and those who are recently postpartum.
• Inmates who are vulnerable to COVID-19 at 60 years old or older and have 120 days or less remaining on their sentence. 

DeWine will send a letter to the judges who presided over these cases and encourage them to grant early release. These cases do not involve any individuals convicted of serious violent crimes such as, but not limited to, murder, sexual assault and domestic violence. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) will work with the courts to hold these hearings remotely. If a victim was involved in the case, they will be notified and given the opportunity to provide a statement. 

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) today released a special guide to help schools, educators, students, parents, and caregivers as they navigate remote learning. The new Remote Learning Resource Guide will support the ability of each child to carry on learning during this time of social distancing.

ODE consulted with educators across Ohio as they compiled the remote learning guide and incorporated their best advice for finding remote-learning information and how to use it. The guide includes online learning resources, as well as several less technical resources. The guide is available on the Ohio Department of Education's website.