COVID-19 Alert - June 11, 2020
By the Numbers:
509,699 individuals tested
40,004 total cases, 5,903 of which are health care workers
2,490 deaths
6,753 hospitalizations, 1,732 of which are in the intensive care unit
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 49
State of Ohio COVID-19 dashboard: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/dashboard
Dr. Acton Stepping Down:
Dr. Amy Acton is stepping down as the Director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). The Governor asked her to continue to be involved as his Chief Health Advisor. In her new role, she will take a comprehensive and holistic approach to address health and well-being for all Ohioans, in addition to advising on health issues.
The Governor commended Dr. Acton on her knowledge, compassion, determination, extraordinary bedside manner and wise counsel that has helped Ohio get through this pandemic.
Lance Himes, who served as a past ODH Interim Director, will again assume the duties of Interim Director.
State Expands COVID Testing to All:
Anyone who wants a COVID-19 test in the state of Ohio, can now receive a test. Even those who are low-risk and not showing symptoms.
To arrange a test, contact your healthcare provider or one of the testing sites throughout the state, which can be found here:https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/testing-ch-centers/.
In addition, the state will host “pop-up testing sites” where Ohioans can be tested at no cost. The locations will be published on the above website.
Note: the state did not initially have the capacity to conduct mass testing as a result of testing shortages.
Best Practices for Places of Worship:
Although the state never closed churches, synagogues, mosques, or other places of worship during the pandemic, the Governor indicated that most of them stopped holding their traditional in-person services and found other ways to worship, such as broadcasting online.
As they begin to open up, the state released suggested best practices for churches, such as: having families sit socially-distant from other families; encouraging members to wear face coverings; and eliminating the touching of common surfaces. This guidance can be found at http://coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Unemployment Update:
According to Lt. Governor Jon Husted, for the 6th straight week, renewals of unemployment claims have declined. Nearly 240,000 less people filed for unemployment renewal last week.
Today, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported an additional 35,430 initial jobless claims over the past week, bringing Ohio's total to 1,327,843 individuals who have filed for unemployment compensation over the last 12 weeks. A total of $3.8 billion in UC payments have been distributed.
$8.5M Grant to Reemploy Ohioans and Build Workforce:
ODJFS received a training grant of $8.5M for employment recovery under the National Dislocated Worker Grant to reemploy individuals who lost their job during the pandemic and help employer’s build their workforce.
13 Minority-Owned Businesses to Participate in London Stock Exchange ELITE:
Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced that 13 minority-owned businesses in Stark County will be participating in the London Stock Exchange’s Global ELITE Program. (The US Headquarters of the London Stock Exchange is located in Cleveland).