Coronavirus Pandemic: What you need to know today, Saturday

Gov. Mike DeWine and first lady Fran DeWine are scheduled to take their third test for coronavirus since Thursday, when he tested positive after one test then negative after a second test hours later.

The governor’s office, as they have since Thursday, will announce the results of today’s tests.

DeWine, who continues under quarantine at his home in Greene County, spent part of his briefing Friday discussing the differences in the tests he was given.

>> Coronavirus Tests: What types are there and how are they different?

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Some things you should know today, Saturday:

• DeWine said the state has seen some positive movement when it comes to coronavirus.
• Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, has dropped out of the Level 3 Red category under the state’s health advisory system.
• Mercer County, with 262.3, tops the state in the Top 10 counties with the most cases per 100,000 people. The county also has seen a rise in emergency room visits. The virus is in all corners of the county and is affecting all ages, the governor said.
• Darke (127.2) and Champaign (149.2) also were in the Top 10 counties in the number of cases per 100,000 people.
• The state next week will announce updates on high school, collegiate and pro sports, DeWine said.
• The state is allocating $50 million through a grant program to help provide hot spots and internet-enabled devices to students. The state will notify schools and there will be no matching requirement. This money can be used for purchases made since July 1.

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More things you should know today, Saturday:

• High school football season in Ohio will be shortened
• DeWine’s administration is reviewing a ruling a Warren County judge issued Thursday that some contact sports can more forward with games under the same rules as non-contact sports in the county. Common Pleas Judge Timothy Tepe granted a temporary injunction for the Southwestern Ohio Basketball and the Warren County Convention Center and Visitor’s Bureau to allow contact sports to go ahead at these locations, our news partner WCPO in Cincinnati is reporting.
• Travel Advisory Update: If you’re entering Ohio after travel to states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher for COVID-19, you are advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. Positivity rate is an indicator of how much COVID-19 there is in a community, and the Ohio Department of Health is recommending against travel to those states with high positivity. This advisory is intended for both leisure and business travel, and should be heeded by both Ohioans and out-of-state travelers.
• The list of states will be updated every week. Based on a 7-day rolling average of positivity rates of Aug. 5, the affected states are Mississippi (25.8%), Alabama (19.9%), Nevada (19.0%) Florida (18.2%) Arizona (18.1%) and Idaho (17.5%)
• Try to avoid weight gains during pandemic
• Sides negotiating COVID-19 rescue money ‘far apart’
• Starting Sunday, child care providers can return to normal, statutory ratios and class sizes

LATEST STATE DATA: As of Saturday afternoon, there have been at least 99,969 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 3,668 deaths, and 11,516 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 77,429 people are presumed to have recovered from the virus in the state.

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 1,639,195 people tested for the coronavirus in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

A total of 11,227 health care workers have tested positive which is about 11 percent of the cases.

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

Cox Media Group