COVID-19 Alert - August 18

By the Numbers:

• Individuals Tested:  1,747,737

• 88 counties with at least one case

• Ages range from less than one year old to 109 years of age, with a median age of 42

• State of Ohio COVID-19 dashboard: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/dashboard

• Total Cases: 105,426 11,782 of which are health care workers)

• Case Increase in Last 24-Hour Period: 1,178

• 21 Day Reported Case Average: 1,202

• Total Deaths:  3,755

• Deaths Reported in Last 24-Hour Period: 21

• 21 Day Reported Death Average: 24

• Total Hospitalizations: 12,203 (2,743 of which are in the intensive care unit)

• Hospitalization Increase in last 24-Hour Period: 122

• 21 Day Reported Hospitalizations Average: 98

High School Sports:

• Governor DeWine announced that an order from the Ohio Department of Health will be issued to outline how sports, both contact and non-contact, may move forward in Ohio. The order will apply to all organized sports in the state and will include guidelines for spectators. The decision for high school fall sports to be postponed to the springtime will be left to the school districts.  The order will be available on coronavirus.ohio.gov.

• Dr. Jim Borchers of The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, who specializes in sports medicine, spoke about the importance of sports, and its impact on the physical and mental health of young people. Dr. Borchers also reminded parents and students about the importance of immediately sharing information with coaching staff and a doctor if a COVID-19 case is probable or confirmed, and then following the appropriate protocols.

Georgetown Veterans Home:

• Governor DeWine announced a confirmed case of COVID-19 at the Ohio Veteran’s home in Georgetown (Brown County). An employee tested positive, and two other employees may have been exposed to this individual. The Ohio Department of Veterans Services put additional safety measures in place at the home and they are tracking potential exposures. All residents in the unit where this employee works are being tested, as are the residents in the two other units where the potentially exposed employees are assigned.

Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library:

• First Lady Fran DeWine joined the Governor and provided an update on the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library. The Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library is approaching it’s one-year anniversary and is now available in 78 of Ohio’s 88 counties. 

• With help from the Ohio General Assembly and local partners throughout the state, the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library has expanded throughout the state and about 191,000 children are receiving a book in the mail monthly. Last summer, the program was only available in pockets throughout the state and about 93,000 children were enrolled at the time. 

Centennial of Women’s Suffrage:

• Today marks the 100th anniversary of the 19thamendment. 

• Governor DeWine encouraged Ohioans to learn more about the history of the women’s suffrage movement by visiting the Ohio History Connection webpage, ohiohistory.org. He also announced that TourismOhio has created a women’s history road trip to mark the centennial. It can be found at ohio.org.