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Coronavirus Pandemic: Positive rate in testing become focus in tracking severity of spread

By WHIO Staff
By WHIO Staff

Gov. Mike DeWine continues to focus on testing for the coronavirus, stressing his directive that counties where positive cases are spiking will get the attention of his congregant care teams that include members of the Ohio National Guard who are medical specialists.

While Ohio saw its fourth highest single-day report for coronavirus cases Thursday, the positive rate for tests given remains steady around 4 to 5 percent, Ohio Department of Health data shows.

The positive rate for tests is becoming a focal point as economies reopen in states across the country. States like Texas, Arizona and Florida have seen upticks in the positive rates for tests, which has caused some of those states to introduce new restrictions.

In Ohio, the positive rate for tests has continued to go down and remain steady in the weeks since Gov. Mike DeWine began relaxing restrictions for businesses across the state.

DeWine has expressed concern that the average age of cases in Ohio continues to drop as the state experienced its fourth highest daily total of new cases. Thursday, approximately 60 percent of the new cases involved Ohioans between ages 20 and 49, the governor said.

Even though the numbers are spiking in southwest Ohio, DeWine said he does not plan to enact a mask requirement for counties where the trend is moving upward. UC Health CEO Dr. Richard Lofgren said people can live safely with the virus, as long as social distancing and disinfecting practices continue to be followed.

Lofgren said there isn’t much data yet to support a specific reason to why younger adults are seeing an increase in cases. “This virus is having a bit of a comeback. The positivity rate in younger adults also suggests some more spreading in the community,” he said.

There isn’t much data yet to support a specific reason to why younger adults are seeing an increase in cases, Lofgren said, but said contract tracing will likely uncover that information.

DeWine said he has spoken with Mayor Nan Whaley about a plan to bring more testing to the Dayton area. Thursday, 1,317 tests were administered at a pop-up site on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard, Five Riverss Health Centers said. Wednesday, 975 tests were administered at a Greene County pop-up testing site.

[ Where can you get tested? ]

(WHIO) Pop-up testing sites (Courtesy/Ohio Department of Health)

Some things you ought to know today:

  • The state also had its highest testing totals in the state this week, with the positive rate for those tests hovering around 5 percent.

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  • The White House Coronavirus Task Force announced that three coronavirus vaccines are on schedule to potentially be available to Americans by the end of the year. Those three candidates are currently in the human testing phase. Other vaccine candidates also may get support from the federal government.
  • Ohio 2-1-1: The Ohio Department of Health will continue funding for the valuable 2-1-1 service as Ohio enters into the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, DeWine said. 2-1-1 is a phone service that connects thousands of Ohioans to local non-profit and government services for health care, food and meals, housing, transportation, mental health, and legal services. At the beginning of the year, the service was available in 51 of Ohio’s 88 counties. When the pandemic began, Ohio EMA asked Ohio AIRS, the non-profit that governs Ohio 2-1-1, to provide service to the remaining 37 counties in Ohio, which happened in March. “The 2-1-1 service is particularly important for those most vulnerable in our state who have been hit by COVID-19 the hardest.” Ohioans can also dial 877-721-8476 to get connected to 2-1-1.
  • American-made PPE: U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, Democrat and Rob Portman, Republican, are urging the COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) to prioritize the procurement of American-made PPE, and to consider comprehensive measures to incentivize the reshoring of additional PPE production back to the United States. “Made-in-America PPE is absolutely vital to the success of our pandemic response,” the senators said in their letter.
  • AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS: Two public awareness campaigns are being launched, aimed at spreading awareness of COVID-19 prevention measures. The 15-second ads, provided by the Ohio Department of Health, will air for three weeks on broadcast, cable, and social media across the state. The PSAs feature Ohio health care professionals.
  • BLACKS, ALZHEIMER’S & COVID-19: The Alzheimer’s Association and The Center for Closing the Health Gap will present a COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall from 4-5 p.m. on June 27, to focus on the impact of the virus on African Americans. The theme of the program is “The Impact of COVID-19 on Alzheimer’s and Dementia.” The hour-long event is free. To join the town hall, visit: covid19communityresources.com. The event will be available through Zoom and FBLive@CloseHealthGap.

Coronavirus: Local cases, deaths reported to Ohio Department of Health ]

LATEST STATE DATA: As of Friday afternoon, there have been at least 48,638 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 2,788 deaths, and 7,570 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The case increase from yesterday is 987. There were 16 new deaths reported and 68 new hospitalizations.

Ohio has an estimated population of approximately 11.7 million, census records show.

Of the state’s positive cases, 10% are from Ohio’s prisons. At those prisons, there has been an increase in testing.

[ Local cases, deaths reported to Ohio Department of Health ]

The state reported 21,886 new tests on Friday, bringing the total people tested in the state to 718,086.

In the state, 6,782 cases are health care workers, which is 14 percent of the cases.

Some other things you should know today:

© 2020 Cox Media Group

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