Coronavirus Pandemic: Springfield Dole plant identified as a hotspot; what you need to know Wednesday

Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted discussed expanding testing, Dayton’s declining “R Naught” number, coronavirus scams and more during their Tuesday afternoon briefing on the state’s response to the pandemic.

Things you should know about the pandemic today, Wednesday:

• Dayton’s “R Naught” number has declined since the last time the data was evaluated and now it’s less than one, DeWine said 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. Gov. Mike DeWine called the cases at the plant a hotspot and said the state is working with local officials to respond and contain the hotspot.
• The state is borrowing $3.1 billion as a line of credit from the U.S. Department of Labor to meet unemployment obligations, the governor said.

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• Places of worship were never ordered to close, DeWine said, so he wanted to remind congregations about ways to stop the spread of the virus:

• More than 65,000 children will get healthy meals daily, thanks to the Ohio Summer Food Service. Call 1-866-3-Hungry for a list of distribution locations.

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

• Wright-Patterson Air Force Base confirmed three COVID-19 cases at the Wright Field North childcare center Monday. The Wright Field North and South facilities were closed Tuesday for cleaning. Two other facilities -- New Horizons and Prairies Child and Youth complexes -- were open Tuesday after they were cleaned.
• 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.
• Pop-up testing: The ramp-up to expand testing throughout the state has begun. Here’s the map with locations.
• COVID-19 scams are popping up throughout the state and nation, Husted said.
• Central State University will open campus for students this fall.

LATEST STATE DATA: As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been at least 42,422 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 2,611 deaths, and 7,051 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:

• Researchers discover steroid is first drug proven to reduce COVID-19 deaths
• Airlines mull cracking down on passengers who don’t wear face masks
• Coronavirus: Worldwide cases surpass 8 million

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