Coronavirus: Reopening Ohio will be slow and incremental, Gov. DeWine says

There are 7,280 cases in the state, 324 deaths and 2,156 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The state has a population of 11.6 million.

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

There have been 67,874 people tested for coronavirus in Ohio. Of the cases in the state, 1,530 are healthcare workers.

It is important to note the number of confirmed cases is not a true reflection of actual cases in the state because of the limited amount of testing available. The hope is that the number of cases will be more accurate because of the expansion of the testing standards.

The state remains under an extended stay-at-home order until May 1.

Gov. Mike DeWine held his 2 p.m. update on the state’s response to the pandemic.

The following announcements were made:

• The state submitted its first waiver application to the federal government regarding Medicaid
• The waiver would bolster telehealth and other technology to be used to do health assessments and care planning; Waive signature requirements for a variety of providers to ensure safe distancing without compromising access to care; Ease obstacles to access nursing home care; Allow services to be provided at alternative locations and remove staffing level requirements to give providers more flexibility
• The Columbus Convention Center has been turned into a 1,000-bed alternative care center. “Our greatest hope is that we never have to open this alternative care center, but we have to be prepared to make sure we are protecting the health and safety of Ohioans,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther. The Dayton Convention Center could serve locally if our local hospitals exceed capacity
• The Ohio Office of Small Business Relief has helped 1,300 businesses
• There are 667 critical employers with 31,000 job openings in Ohio right now. These employers have created safe environments for their employees. If you are looking for a job you can search coronavirus.ohio.gov/jobsearch
• Dr. Amy Acton, state health department director, said the state will see good days and bad days with case statistics, but the state is looking at trends. The trend needs to be down for a sustained period before the next actions can be taken by the state, she said
• Some high-risk conditions for COVID-19 are chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, heart conditions, immuno-compromised individuals, obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and liver disease
• A new state order will share with dispatchers the names and address of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 so first responders can properly protect themselves when responding to an emergency. This information will be kept confidential, Gov. DeWine said
• Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the unemployment stories the state has heard throughout the coronavirus pandemic of people not receiving benefits are unacceptable. Husted said the state is going to address this issue more and hopefully have additional information Wednesday
• Acton said the state is working to build a response system that will help the state better trace ases across the state. The idea is to allow immediate response to any flare ups of cases. Additional details will be released as the system is developed
• When Ohio begins to reopen businesses, schools, things will be different until a vaccine is developed, DeWine said. He said he can’t imagine a business reopening without employees wearing masks. “What everyone needs to be thinking about is what you will do to keep your employees and customers safe when you reopen,” he said

Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County held its briefing at 4 p.m.

Here are the highlights:

• HEALTH CARE STATUS FOR BLACKS: With COVID-19 affecting people more who have underlying health conditions such as heart disease, obesity, asthma, diabetes and cancer, black county residents tend to fare worse than black residents other counties in Ohio or nationally when the county’s overall health status is considered, Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper said. For example, life expectancy is lower, black babies die at higher rates than white babies, he said. If you are a black male, you are dying at a rate two times the rate of the general population if you have cancer without COVID-19, he said. The overall health status for the black community needs to improve, Cooper said. “We all have to make sacrifices to protect each other,” he said, noting it’s too early to state with certainty that COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting black people in Montgomery County more than anyone else in the area. More data is needed, he said.
• FACE MASK REQUEST: Not enough people are wearing cloth face masks, even though wearing them is a state and national recommendation, Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper said. Public Health -- Dayton & Montgomery County wants businesses to move toward making customers wear masks. “As a common courtesy, please wear a cloth face mask" Cooper said in a public plea. "It protects essential employees of the businesses you support. We all have to do our part to flatten this curve.”
• COVID-19 CALL CENTER: The COVID-19 call center opened March 12. to answer questions about COVID-19. The 16-member staff rotates. Tuesday is day 28 and the call center has taken more than 4,100 calls (250 to 300 calls a day at its busiest), said Casey Smith, call center coordinator and project manager, Community Overdose Action Team, Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County. Last week, the call center was taking about 100 calls a day, she said. At the state, callers asked what COVID-19 is and what symptoms are. Now, individuals and businesses are calling for clarity on coronavirus-related rules, orders, announcements. Individuals have been calling to donate PPE or to request PPE. Smith said the call center is not the appropriate place to call about your workplace policy (call your human resources) or test results. The call center, 937 225-6217, is available Monday through Friday until 6 p.m. Or, call the state at 833-4-ASKODH for information 24/7
• ALTERNATE CARE SITE: The build out of an alternate care facility for COVID-19 patients has been postponed because of the work of citizens in following the rules about social distancing and staying at home, said Sarah Hackenbracht, president/CEO, Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association. But planning for a build out facility -- the Dayton Convention Center -- continues in case such a facility is needed, she said. She said the goal remains to house every COVID-19 patient in existing hospitals in the region because that is where they will get the best care.

President Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force are holding a press briefing now.

Here are the highlights so far:

• REOPENING U.S. ECONOMY: Trump said he will be meeting with governors “soon” and will be “authorizing each governor to implement a reopening plan for their state at a time most appropriate for their state.” Some states may be reopened before May 1, he said. More than 20 states are in fairly good shape, he said, not explaining what that means. The federal government will be watching them and will be there to help them, he said, noting that governors will be held accountable. Trump said the governors will be “very respectful of the presidency,” he said.
• DYNAMIC VENTILATOR RESERVE: Trump said one state asked for 40,000 ventilators. “Ridiculous,” he said, adding the state actually needed 7,000 or 8,000. He did not identify the state. He said who would or would not get ventilators would be the “defining point of the crisis.” He said he used the Defense Protection Act “as a hammer” to get ventilators built. He brought up a task force member who said 60,000 ventilators are in the United States are not in use. “There is no American who has needed a ventilator who didn’t get one,” the member said. Trump said he met with “many leaders” of hospitals across the nation. The administration is partnering with several hospital associations and health care systems, including the Cleveland Clinic, to create a “Dynamic Ventilator Reserve” that will create and maintain a stock of unused ventilators for future medical emergencies. Numbers will be tracked via a database, one medical official said. More than 20 of the nation’s largest health care systems have pledged 4,000 ventilators, should we need them, Trump said.
• WHO FUNDING: Trump has ordered a halt to funding the World Health Organization while administration reviews WHO role in “covering up China’s role” in coronavirus pandemic. The WHO opposed U.S. restrictions on travel from China and failed to vet and share information in a timely manner, Trump said. Delays in declaring a public health emergency cost “valuable time,” he said. WHO mistakes caused a 20-fold increase in cases nationwide, he said. “So much death has been caused by their mistakes,” he said of the WHO. “Maybe WHO will reform, maybe they won’t,” he said. The U.S. spends more than $500 million a year with the WHO, Trump said.
• AIRLINES’ FEDERAL AID: The Treasury Department and several key airlines tentatively agreed on $25 billion in federal aid to pay workers and employ them through September. The deal could include the government taking a small ownership in the leading airlines, according to the Associated Press. The nation’s six largest -- Delta, American, United, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue -- and four smaller carriers have told the Treasury Department they plan to participate in the bailout

What you need to know today, Tuesday:

• According to national reports, one group of governors on the East Coast and a second group on the West Coast announced Monday that they were forming regional working groups to help plan when it would be safe to begin to ease restrictions. President Trump has written, on Twitter, that the decision lies with him and not the states. “We’re working with the White House,” DeWine said in response to whether the president’s decision would trump Ohio’s plans. “Every state has its unique challenges,” the governor said.
• The “Ohio Plan” to restart the state’s economy and exit restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will depend on widespread testing and professionally run contact tracing, Gov. Mike DeWine and state Health Director Amy Acton, M.D., said Monday.
• DeWine said he and Acton have met with a group of physicians and are meeting these days with a group of business leaders in continuing to fashion the state’s plan to ease restrictions and reopen the state’s economy.
• Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday he expected the reopening to play out “community by community, county by county,” but the U.S. would first need to “substantially augment our public health capacity to do early case identification, isolation and contact tracing.” One member of the Federal Reserve board warned the process to reopen could take 18 months.
• Gov. Mike DeWine said some companies in Ohio are beginning to purchase rapid antibody tests to begin testing staff and customers. He said this is one piece to the puzzle in determining when employees can return to work. The state cautioned only to use FDA Emergency Use Authorization approved antibody tests.
• Dr. Acton will issue an order requiring long-term care facilities to notify residents and families within 24 hours of a resident or staff member becoming infected.
• Next week, Ohioans should start to see the additional $600 per week that is being allotted under the Federal CARES Act for unemployment, said Kimberly Hall, director, Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.
• REOPENING THE ECONOMY: President Trump said his administration will be releasing guidelines for states on how they can begin to reopen their economies. “The president of the United States calls the shots. We will work with the states,” he said. “They can’t do anything without the approval of the president. If some states refuse to open, I’d like to see that person run for re-election.” When someone is president, the authority is total, he said. Trump also acknowledged he would take the advice of physicians and others in deciding when to reopen the economy.

What else you need to know

• Italy records its lowest its lowest number of death in three weeks
• What to look for to get your stimulus check from the federal government
• Dayton International Airport has lost 90% of its customers during pandemic
• Wright State nursing school graduate is volunteering in New Orleans

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