COVID-19 Alert - September 3
By the Numbers:
Individuals Tested: 2,312,887
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 41
State of Ohio COVID-19 dashboard: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/dashboard
Total Cases: 127,112 (13,995 of which are health care workers)
Case Increase in Last 24-Hour Period: 1,345
21 Day Reported Case Average: 1,033
Total Deaths: 4,226
Deaths Reported in Last 24-Hour Period: 50
21 Day Reported Death Average: 22
Total Hospitalizations: 13,663 (3,003 of which are in the intensive care unit)
Hospitalization Increase in last 24-Hour Period: 89
21 Day Reported Hospitalizations Average: 78
School Reporting:
Governor DeWine announced details for Ohio's forthcoming case reporting order for K-12 schools.
Beginning Tuesday, September 8, parents or guardians and school staff should notify their school within 24 hours of receiving a positive test or a clinical diagnosis. Within 24 hours after receiving that notification, the school should notify other parents and guardians about that case in writing, providing as much information as possible without releasing protected health information. The school must also notify their local health department within 24 hours.
Beginning Tuesday, September 15, and each Tuesday thereafter, local health departments will report the number of newly reported and cumulative cases to the Ohio Department of Health. The Ohio Department of Health will publish this data by school or school district, including a breakdown by students and staff, each Thursday.
The order will also require each school district or school to identify a COVID-19 coordinator to facilitate the reporting of case information, and upon request, schools or buildings are required to provide the local health department a copy of their pandemic plan.
Labor Day Warning Continues:
Governor DeWine once again encouraged Ohioans to take proper safety precautions over the upcoming Labor Day weekend. He stressed that Ohioans can still have fun, visit family, and travel, but face coverings, social distancing, and hand washing should also be part of plans.
Governor DeWine also reminded young Ohioans of their responsibility to follow safety precautions, especially students attending a college or university. Case data shows that those aged 18-22 currently make up 35-40% of all young Ohioans who have tested positive for the virus which is a significant increase from previous months.
Wastewater Monitoring Network:
Information regarding Ohio's new Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network is now available at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
The network was developed to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through the study of wastewater samples. The presence of coronavirus gene copies/fragments can be found in the waste of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals and can be detected in wastewater as many as three to seven days before those infections lead to increases in case counts or hospitalizations in a community.
Defense Manufacturing Grant:
Lt. Governor Husted announced that the U.S. Department of Defense made a commitment to Ohio’s defense manufacturers and put the state in a position to receive a $5 million grant to improve manufacturing processes and train workers for next-generation jobs.
Ohio has been designated as a Defense Manufacturing Community, which is a program designed to support long-term community investments that strengthen national security innovation and expand the capabilities of defense manufacturing.
Step Up to Quality:
As of last Tuesday, all child care providers in Ohio that serve publicly funded children were required to be rated on Ohio’s child care quality rating system, called Step Up To Quality.
Governor DeWine announced today that over 4,400 providers are now rated through the system. This is more than double the number of rated quality child care providers when he took office in 2019. By 2025, all providers must be rated three stars or higher on the rating system.