Coronavirus Pandemic: DeWine says Dayton’s rate of virus spread has decreased

Dayton’s “R-Naught” number has gone down since the last time the data was evaluated, Gov. Mike DeWine said at Tuesday’s news briefing. It is now less than one.

The “R-Naught” number is the speed of which coronavirus spreads from one person to another. For the coronavirus, it is estimated that one person will affect two and a half people.

At the Dole Plant in Springfield, approximately 100 employees have tested positive for coronavirus after 825 tests were administered Saturday at the plant. The plant previously had 38 cases, bringing the total to approximately 138.

DeWine announced that for the first time since the pandemic began, the state is borrowing $3.1 billion as a line of credit from the U.S. Department of Labor to meet unemployment obligations.

Today, one of the governor’s “congregate care unified response teams” was to visit the St. Leonard continuing care retirement community in Centerville, where four cases have been confirmed in the last week.

In late May, the governor said his administration would be sending teams of up to 10 people to visit every nursing home in the state that has been affected by COVID-19. Each team is to include medically-trained members of the Ohio National Guard.

DeWine also reiterated that while places of worship were never ordered to close, he offered some tips to congregations who do plan to resume in-person services.

• Families should group together and sit in their own sections during the service
• Avoid common services such as offering plates
• People in the congregation are encouraged to wear masks
• High risk individuals should avoid coming into contact with others within the church

The Ohio Summer Food Service will be able to give more than 65,000 children healthy meals each day, but this summer they might look more like grab and go meals, DeWine said during Tuesday’s press conference. The list of food distribution locations can be found by calling 1-866-3-Hungry.

RELATED: 2 new COVID-19 cases reported at WPAFB childcare center

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base confirmed three total COVID-19 cases at the Wright Field North childcare center Monday. The Wright Field North and South facilities are closed Tuesday for cleaning. Two other facilities, New Horizons and Prairies Child and Youth complexes, are open today but were cleaned overnight, a base spokesperson said.

Things you need to know today, Tuesday:

• FRIDAY OPENINGS: Casinos, racinos, amusement parks and water parks will be permitted to reopen, provided they follow the guidelines on social distancing, crowd control as well as the other state-mandated requirements to stop the spread of the virus. Officials at Miami Valley Gaming are preparing for this week’s resumption of business.
• RESTAURANT STRUGGLES: Some restaurants are struggling to reopen with the right balance of safety and customer comfort.
• POP-UP TESTING: The ramp-up to expand testing throughout the state has begun. Here’s the map with locations.
• WRIGHT STATE CUTS: Job cuts, voluntary layoffs and retirements are hitting campus as it continues to deal with the effects COVID-19
• DOLLARS FOR SCHOOL: Advocates are calling for more public school funding because of the effects of the pandemic.

LATEST STATE DATA: As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been at least 42,010 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 2,597 deaths, and 7,007 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

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

Of the state’s positive cases, 12% are from Ohio’s prisons. At those prisons, there has been an increase in testing.

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

There have been 565,034 people tested for coronavirus in Ohio.

In the state, 6,149 cases are health care workers, which is 15 percent of the cases.

What else you should to know today:

• Stimulus II: Package being negotiated could include another check, vacation tax credits
• FDA: The agency revokes emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine
• Coronavirus: Cases worldwide surpass 8 million

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