Coronavirus Pandemic: Dr. Amy Acton stepping down, testing expanded

Dr. Amy Acton informed Gov. Mike DeWine that she felt it was time for her to step down as the Director of the Ohio Department of Health.

“While the decisions were always mine, her counsel was superb. I will always believe and know that many lives were saved because of her wise advice,” DeWine said. “With her leadership and help, in the first year, we focused on infant mortality, home visiting for at-risk, first-time moms, lead paint, youth homelessness, suicide prevention, and the modernization of our public health system.”

Acton addressed her decision during the 2 p.m. coronavirus press conference.

“Ohioans you have saved lives,” Acton said.

As of today, Lance Himes, who served as a past ODH Interim Director, will again assume the duties of Interim Director, DeWine said.

Acton will now serve as the Chief Health Advisor for DeWine. In her new role, she will take a comprehensive and holistic approach to address health and well-being for all Ohioans, Dewine said. In addition to advising on health issues, she will continue to focus on the COVID-19 crisis, while remaining committed to the vision of the Ohio Department of Health.

Governor Mike DeWine announced that testing is being expanded to be available to everyone that wants a test in the state.

DeWine also showed data that showed the Dayton region has the highest “R naught" figure in Ohio, with 1.07. All other regions in the state were under 1.00, but moving upward, DeWine said.

DeWine said he didn’t think Dayton’s numbers were a cause for alarm yet.

Officials with Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County expressed concern -- about rising coronavirus numbers in the county.

“We’re trying to make those cases stay level and then drop off. Right now, they’re still going up and that is a concern," PHDMC spokesman Dan Suffoletto said.

“R naught,” is a mathematical term that indicates how contagious an infectious disease is, according to Healthline and other online sources. It’s also referred to as the reproduction number. As an infection is transmitted to new people, it reproduces itself.

R naught tells you the average number of people who will contract a contagious disease from one person with that disease. It specifically applies to a population of people who were previously free of infection and haven’t been vaccinated.

PHDMC officials said they have had the rising numbers on their radar even before DeWine mentioned it during one of his press briefings.

““We do believe that because businesses are opening back up people are moving around more. They’re coming into contact with more people that is raising the number of cases here in Montgomery County,” Suffoletto said. "We want to make sure people still take COVID seriously. They still have to take precautions. Because just because businesses are opening doesn’t mean COVID has gone away.”

DeWine is holding a 2 p.m. press conference.

The following updates were announced:

Coronavirus testing in the state is being expanded to anyone wanting a test in the state of Ohio, DeWine announced. A list of test sites can be found at coronavirus.ohio.gov. “We’re encouraging anyone that wants a test to talk to their health care provider or contact a testing location to arrange a test,” DeWine said.
Pop-up testing across Ohio will begin tomorrow at the Columbus locations listed here. These popups will also happen soon in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Xenia, Portsmouth, Columbiana, Akron, and elsewhere.
Best practices for churches resuming in-person services include: having families sit together, wearing face coverings and removing frequently touched items. Additional guidance will be released later today.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said JobsOhio is announcing that 13 minority-owned businesses in Stark County will be participating in the London Stock Exchange’s ELITE Program.
Ohio Jobs and Family Services will receive an $8.5 million federal Employment Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant to help reemploy individuals who lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and to help employers rebuild their workforce.

Things you should know today, Thursday:

The Ohio House passed a bill last night to make carry-out alcohol, a privilege pushed through by DeWine in April, permanent. This bill is now onto the Senate.
The reopening of Scene 75 in Vandalia will have to wait, its founder says. The venue is one of several given the green light to resume operations this week: