DeWine: ‘The virus is raging’ as COVID-19 case jump, positivity rate rises

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held his third news briefing this week to address the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following announcements were made:

• Ohio broke its daily case record by 25 percent, with over 3,500 new cases. “The virus is raging throughout Ohio,” DeWine said. “There is no place to hide. All of us must come together to fight this enemy.”
• DeWine is calling on every county to create a COVID-19 Defense Team that is comprised of multiple community leaders, including mayors, commissioners and business leaders. DeWine said he’s already met with leaders in Mercer, Clark and Auglaize counties. Those discussions will continue with other counties tomorrow morning.
• DeWine said he believes that things happen at the local level, meaning more people are willing to listen to what their neighbors are advising.
• DeWine released the new Ohio Public Health Advisory System map, which shows Clark County has dropped from the Level 4 Watch list. Auglaize County jumped to Level 3.
• Clark County has seen 41 deaths in the month of October, which breaks a previous record set in August, when the county saw 17 deaths.
• Clark County officials told DeWine they are seeing “alarming increases.” In the last 7 days, Clark County has added 271 cases and hospitalizations are at a record high.
• DeWine said 78 percent of the state is living in a red Level 3 county and only 1 percent of the population is in the yellow Level 1 category.
• The state is launching Learning Aid Ohio, a supplemental tutoring program, that is designed to assist children with developmental disabilities who have individualized education plans and are remote learning. Starting on Monday, eligible families can apply for up to $1,500 in grant funding to cover costs of tutoring and other needed supports. To apply for a grant or to sign up as a provider, visit http://LearningOhio.com
• DeWine said people should not be having Halloween parties this year, but said trick-or-treat can continue if done carefully.

Other items to know today in the coronavirus pandemic:

• Is Trunk or Treat Safe? Public Health weighs in
• Hospitalization rate ‘concerning’ for Miami Valley hospitals, surge planning continues
• DeWine announces plan for $5 billion stimulus with dividend payments to businesses
• DeWine urges Ohioans to reconsider attending gatherings of any size

Latest data reported by Ohio Department of Heath:

As of Thursday afternoon, there have been at least 208,937 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 5,275 deaths, and 18,800 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 165,302 people are presumed to have recovered from the virus in the state.

>>Local cases, deaths, presumed recovered reported to Ohio Department of Health

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

There have been 4,302,141 people tested for the coronavirus in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health. This is an increase of 50,876 tests today.

A total of 20,744 health care workers have tested positive which is about 10 percent of the cases.

Cox Media Group