Coronavirus Pandemic: What you need to know Wednesday

Despite some recent improvement in sales, more than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic restaurants are becoming concerned about the impact Mother Nature could have on their bottom lines.

According to numbers released in recent days by Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA), many restaurants are reporting their highest revenue since the pandemic began, and 70 percent of restaurants have brought back at least half of pre-COVID-19 staff.

Things you need to know today, Wednesday:

• Based on current positivity rates, Ohioans are encouraged to avoid travel to Alabama, Idaho, Mississippi and South Dakota, Gov. Mike DeWine said in updating the travel advisory map.

• Mask orders lead to littered PPE in the Miami Valley
• DeWine says he hid nothing from doctor who quit before she started
• Wright State will not be able to hold an in-person commencement ceremony for the spring Class of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and has decided instead to offer a virtual ceremony Oct. 24, university President Sue Edwards said late Monday afternoon.
• COVID-19 cases surge in recent weeks in Greene County, public health agency reports
• Xenia woman removes mother from nursing home amid COVID pandemic
• Flu Shot Drive Through sponsored by Kroger Health @ Nutter Center until 4 pm
• Englewood KinderCare closed for 2 weeks after positive case confirmed
• Miami Valley festivals plan drive-thru events amid pandemic

LATEST STATE DATA: As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been at least 140,518 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 4,555 deaths, and 14,560 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 118,443 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 2,682,008 people tested for the coronavirus in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

A total of 15,105 health care workers have tested positive which is about 11 percent of the cases.

Cox Media Group