COVID-19 Alert - June 16, 2020
By the Numbers:
565,034 individuals tested
42,010 total cases, 6,149 of which are health care workers
2,597 deaths
7,007 hospitalizations, 1,784 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
The R0 Number throughout Ohio:
Former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton did not participate in the press conference today. Governor DeWine reviewed the daily COVID-19 numbers and explained that Ohio’s R0 (R naught) number as of June 7, 2020 was at 1 to 0.87 statewide. In March, the R0 was 1 to 2.
Governor DeWine does not find the virus replication rate alarming but will continue to watch the numbers. To keep Ohio’s numbers below a 1 to 1 ratio, the Governor urges everyone to continue to wear masks and social distance.
Pop-Up Testing Sites:
Last week, the Governor announced pop-up testing sites in underserved areas across the state. Anyone can receive a test at no cost. Individuals also receive a community wellness kit with masks and hand sanitizer.
Below is a map of current testing sites, which will expand over the coming days. More information can be found at: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/testing-ch-centers/.
Ohio Borrows Money from Feds to Cover Unemployment Insurance Claims:
Today is the first day that Ohio had to borrow money to meet its unemployment obligation during the COVID-19 emergency.
Ohio requested $3.1 billion in borrowing authority from the U.S. Department of Labor as a line of credit and will not be charged interest on the money. The request for $3.1 billion is more than Ohio anticipates we will need.
Best Practices for Houses of Worship:
The administration released suggested best practices for places of worship. As a reminder, these are not requirements, but rather best practices and include: families grouping together but sitting apart from other families, elimination of touching of common surfaces such hymnals and collection bowls and wearing masks.
See attached Recommendations for Religious Services.
$1 Million Grant to Family and Children First Councils:
A $1M grant that was initially budgeted to assist the Family and Children First Councils for in-person training will be re-deployed to pay for technical devices such as tablets, cameras, and wireless hotspots. The grant funding will help the most venerable children connect to the health and education services they need.
Ohio Summer Food Service Program:
Governor DeWine announced that the Ohio Summer Food Service Program continues to feed children under the age of 18 at more than 1,500 sites across Ohio.
Sites may only provide grab-and-go meals, and it is anticipated that more than 65,000 children per day will participate in the free meal program.
Fraud and Fake Claims:
Lt. Governor Husted warned Ohioans to be on alert for fake cures, work from home offers, and requests for personal information. Some Ohioans may also receive a fake notice indicating an overpayment of benefits that must be repaid.
The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services has seen fake unemployment claims filed on behalf of individuals who have not lost their jobs, in an effort to get access to unemployment funds.
Ohio Saves Nearly $1 Million through Data Analytics:
Lt. Governor Husted announced that InnovateOhio and the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) have realized $950,000 in savings through the use of data analytics software implemented last year.
The software identified duplicate payments in government spending. The total dollar amount of duplicate payments identified totals $1,008,876, leaving $58,849 still in the process of being recovered. Today’s update brings the total number of confirmed duplicate payments identified by InnovateOhio advanced analytics tools to 107 from January 2019 through May 2020 across 27 different agencies, boards and commissions.