Coronavirus Pandemic: What you need to know Friday

Last night the new director of the Ohio Department of Health, Dr. Joan Duwve withdrew from the position.

“Dr. Joan Duwve tonight withdrew her name from consideration for director of the Ohio Department of Health, citing personal reasons,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in via twitter.

DeWine’s administration will continue its search for a full-time director of the health department.

Things you need to know today, Friday:

• WHIO wants to have the hard, real conversations in a series of stories that will hopefully lead our community toward change. Today, “Dayton Gets Real” about the disproportionate way COVID-19 has impacted communities of color, particularly African Americans.
• Miami Valley festivals plan drive thru events amid pandemic
• Back to School: Springboro Schools district reports confirmed case of COVID-19
• The U.S. Air Force is alerting its employees, both military and civilian, that they will not be able to opt-out of the deferral for the payroll tax that was established through President Donald Trump’s executive order that went into effect last week.

LATEST STATE DATA: As of Friday afternoon, there have been at least 135,326 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 4,403 deaths, and 14,236 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 113,053 people are presumed to have recovered from the virus in the state.

Of the state’s cases, 17,870 are presumed to still be active.

Ohio has an estimated population of approximately 11.7 million, census records show.

[ Local cases, deaths reported to Ohio Department of Health ]

There have been 2,512,184 people tested for the coronavirus in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

A total of 14,681 health care workers have tested positive which is about 11 percent of the cases.

Cox Media Group