Coronavirus Pandemic: Acton believes Ohio is in the peak

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said she believes Ohio is now in the peak and that the peak has so far stayed flat.

There are 6,975 cases in the state, 274 deaths and 2,033 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The state’s system for identifying COVID-19 cases now adds probable cases that will spot the new cases by a blood test that reveals antibodies or clinical evidence of the coronavirus in your body and there is no other likely diagnosis.

The state has a population of 11.6 million.

There have been 65,112 people tested for coronavirus in Ohio. Of the cases in the state, 1,449 are healthcare workers.

It is important to note the number of confirmed cases is not a true reflection of actual cases in the state because of the limited amount of testing available. The hope is that the number of cases will be more accurate because of the expansion of the testing standards.

The state remains under an extended stay-at-home order until May 1.

Gov. Mike DeWine held a 2 p.m. press conference to provide an update on the state’s response to coronavirus.

The following announcements were made:

• Gov. Mike DeWine said some companies in Ohio are beginning to purchase rapid antibody tests to begin testing staff and customers. He said this is one piece to the puzzle in determining when employees can return to work. The state cautioned only to use FDA Emergency Use Authorization approved antibody tests.
• The Ohio National Guard will begin providing assistance to the medical staff at Pickaway Correctional Institution. A number of medical staff there are out sick. An inmate housed at the jail has died from COVID-19.
• Dr. Acton will issue an order requiring long-term care facilities to notify residents and families within 24 hours of a resident or staff member becoming infected.
• The in-person sale of liquor in the following counties will be restricted to only Ohioans: Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana, Jefferson and Belmont. This comes after complaints of people coming from out of state to purchase liquor, DeWine said.
• DeWine has signed an executive order to provide nearly $5 million in emergency funding from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant to support Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks and the statewide hunger relief network. Of this, $1 million is earmarked for the Agricultural Clearance Program, where the Ohio Association of Foodbanks will purchase Ohio-made commodities, such as milk, to distribute to foodbanks across the state.
• April 27 is the deadline to have your absentee ballot postmarked. CHECK HERE FOR THE WHIO BALLOT GUIDE
• An additional $1 million has been granted to the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio to help Ohio’s homeless shelters purchase needed cleaning supplies and also provide homelessness prevention and housing services.
• DeWine announced the Ohio Legislature approved $8.8 million for hospital build-outs, which is a third of the anticipated amount.
• Dr. Amy Acton said when a nursing home has an outbreak, there is a lot of stigma and fear. She specifically addressed this in connection to the outbreak at Koester Pavilion and Springmeade. “We want to reach out to these facilities and give them our help because they need us now more than ever,” she said.

• Next week, Ohioans should start to see the additional $600 per week that is being allotted under the Federal CARES Act for unemployment, said Kimberly Hall, director, Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.
• 898 of the state’s 2,033 hospitalizations still remained hospitalized Monday, Acton said.

President Trump and the White House coronavirus task force held a briefing late Monday afternoon on the federal response to the pandemic.

Here are the highlights:

• REOPENING THE ECONOMY: President Trump said his administration will be releasing guidelines for states on how they can begin to reopen their economies. “The president of the United States calls the shots. We will work with the states,” he said. “They can’t do anything without the approval of the president. If some states refuse to open, I’d like to see that person run for re-election.” When someone is president, the authority is total, he said. Trump also acknowledged he would take the advice of physicians and others in deciding when to reopen the economy.
• TRUMP PUTS UP DEFENSE: The White House played a campaign ad-like video criticizing the media, touting the administration’s response to COVID-19, and playing clips of governors praising the Trump administration. The testimonial followed a New York Times report outlining early failures in the administration to get a handle on the virus and on testing. Asked about the video, the president confirmed his White House staff compiled the video in the last two hours before the briefing. “Everything we did was right...,” Trump said in defense of his administration’s response.
• FAUCI RECASTS COMMENTS: White House health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci walked back his comments about the initial U.S. response to the coronavirus. He said he used “the wrong choice of words” a day earlier when describing “push back about shutting things down," CNBC.com reported. Fauci’s comments from a CNN interview Sunday – in which he said more lives “obviously” could have been saved if the U.S. made earlier efforts to contain the virus – were seen by some as a critique of the Trump administration’s handling of the crisis. Trump later Sunday evening retweeted a call to ”#FireFauci.” Monday, a White House spokesman said the president “is not firing Dr. Fauci,” who “has been and remains a trusted adviser to President Trump.”
• ON REOPENING BORDERS: The ban on travel from Europe remains, the president said, “until they heal.”

Public Health -- Dayton & Montgomery County did not hold a briefing Monday.

What to know today:

• The Clark County Board of commissioners is cutting $4.7 million from its general fund budget to deal with anticipated sales tax revenue losses due to coronavirus.
• A Butler County Jail inmate tested positive for coronavirus. The 35-year-old male and his cellmate were moved to a Butler County Jail facility that had been emptied and prepped to handle inmates that tested positive. The cellmate’s test is still pending.
• Public Health -- Dayton & Montgomery County released a set of guidelines regarding vehicle parades. Communities can participate in them as long as they are following a certain set of guidelines written by public health.

>> RELATED: Coronavirus: New vehicle parade guidelines released by Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health

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