mike
Coronavirus death toll surpasses 100 in Ohio prisons
More than 100 inmates and workers in Ohio’s prison system have died from COVID-19, state data shows. Five prison workers (three corrections officers and two nurses) and 96 inmates have died from the disease that has clobbered the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction since late March when it was first detected in the system. […]
Pandemic historian to DeWine, leaders: ‘Just tell the truth’
John Barry’s advice to officials responding to COVID-19 starts simple. “Just tell the truth,” said Barry, who wrote “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History” and has advised two U.S. presidents on pandemic preparedness. President Donald Trump admitted last week he downplayed the threat posed by the coronavirus in February to […]
DeWine breaks from controversial CDC guidance on coronavirus testing
In a subtle yet key split from CDC guidance, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that people who have been exposed to the coronavirus but are not showing symptoms should seek testing. Last week, the CDC updated its COVID-19 testing guidance to say people who have had close contact with an infected person but are not […]
‘Simply not acceptable:’ Ohio narrowly misses its monthly COVID-19 testing goal
Ohio is on track to narrowly fall short on a projection the state health department sent to the federal government on COVID-19 testing. While the data reflects testing growth, Gov. Mike DeWine described the goal his administration submitted as unacceptably low, and researchers say Ohio is still not conducting enough testing to understand the full […]
Seven months into pandemic, COVID-19 testing still falling short
After an initial scare from a COVID-19 rapid-response test in the morning, two diagnostic tests on Gov. Mike DeWine came back negative late Thursday evening. A follow-up test Saturday did as well. For most Ohioans, however, testing scarcity — antigen, antibody and diagnostic (PCR) — has been and continues to be the norm as the […]
A brutal July leaves 535 Ohioans dead from COVID-19
At least 535 Ohioans died of COVID-19 and 35,500 residents contracted the disease in July, state data shows. More than 2,400 Ohioans were admitted to the hospital in July, elevating the number of coronavirus patients in state hospitals to their highest levels of the pandemic. About 1,000 are currently in the hospital as of Monday, […]
Eyeing COVID-19 surge, governor seeks to close bars at 10 p.m. nightly
Just a day after a Franklin County judge halted a Columbus ordinance closing bars nightly at 10 p.m., Gov. Mike DeWine said he’s trying to impose the idea statewide. Researchers, analysts, health departments and media reports have connected COVID-19 outbreaks to bars and restaurants. However, the Ohio Restaurant Association, along with an attorney representing bars […]
Current COVID-19 hospitalization levels reach record high
Hospital rolls of COVID-19 patients soared to a record high Wednesday as a month-long surge in new cases has spilled over into Ohio’s hospitalization counts. On Wednesday, the Ohio Department of Health reported there are nearly 1,100 Ohioans currently in the hospital with COVID-19, the respiratory and vascular disease caused by the new coronavirus. The […]
ODH projecting 1.5 million COVID-19 tests per month by November
After chronic testing shortages marred the first few months of its COVID-19 response, the Ohio Department of Health projects it will double its current testing capacity by November. ODH plans to complete diagnostic testing of more than 1 million Ohioans per month for the new coronavirus by November and conduct serologic (antibody) testing on another […]