COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike opened Tuesday's COVID-19 press conference with a bit of good news for the future, despite the state's continued rise in cases.
October unemployment is down to 5.6%, regional representatives are reporting 90% mask-wearing compliance and around Dec. 15, the state is expecting its first batch of a COVID-19 vaccine.
While hope is on the horizon, Ohio health leaders are concerned about the current strain on the state's hospitals.
DeWine spoke with three Ohio medical professionals Tuesday, including one respiratory therapist, Stephanie Marshall who suffered from COVID-19 herself. With a continued need for supplemental oxygen, she is considered a "long-hauler."
"This is real and it's serious," Marshall said.
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches on Thursday, ODH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff warned that the worst could be yet to come for state hospitals should guidelines not be followed.
He called the current picture in the state's medical centers "incredible," with some seeing 20-30% of their total volume taken up by COVID-19 patients. Vanderhoff believes that what we are seeing now is the result of people gathering during the time period surrounding Halloween, adding that Thanksgiving gatherings could push hospitals to their limits.
"The big fear is, if we don't take the message of masking, distancing, avoiding coming together in groups seriously, Thanksgiving could have a much more profound impact and could actually result in our hospitals being overwhelmed," Vanderhoff said.
As more and more patients require immediate care, Vanderhoff explained that hospitals are beginning to forego less immediate procedures.
"Let's not kid ourselves: every yes in those situations is a no to something else," he said.
KEY METRICS
On Tuesday the Ohio Dept. of Health reported:
- 8,604 new cases compared to 21-day average of 6,941
- 98 deaths compared to 21-day average of 35
- 364 new hospitalizations compared to the 21-day average
- 29 new ICU admissions compared to the 21-day average of 27
There are currently 4,449 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the state. Of those patients, 1,046 are in intensive care. DeWine noted that out of all patients in Ohio hospitals, nearly 1/4 are there because of COVID-19.
Tuesday's 98 reported COVID-19 deaths marked the second-highest daily increase since the onset of the pandemic.
DeWine announced that the state's updated Public Health Advisory Map, which is usually updated on Thursdays, will be released on Wednesday due to Thanksgiving. The new Travel Advisory Map will be released early as well.
The state is inching closer to a point in which state leaders would advise people to think critically before traveling there. To be put on Ohio's travel advisory list, a state needs to be at 15% positivity. Ohio is now roughly 14%.
When asked if a person who tests themselves repeatedly could be added to the state data multiple times, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted explained that a patient's name and birthday is used as a unique identifier. That person will be counted only one time, no matter how many times they take a COVID-19 test yielding a positive result.
Going off of that, Vanderhoff explained that a person who has tested positive should not test themselves again before returning to work as it could return a misleading result. The virus' RNA can remain in your system for a long time, and has nothing to do with infectivity. Instead, a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 should isolate for 10 days following symptom onset, and be symptom and fever-free for at least 24 hours.
TESTIMONIALS
DeWine included two Ohioans in Tuesday's press conference, who went through their own experiences with COVID-19: Stephanie Marshall, a respiratory therapist who was diagnosed with coronavirus and hospitalized with serious complications and Susan Norvell, who was exposed to the virus and unintentionally brought it home to her family.
"I'm now home, but I'm still on oxygen. I'm in the 'long-hauler' crowd, and it has been difficult. I just want people to know that it doesn't matter who you are, this virus doesn't discriminate," Marshall said.
The conference also featured Dr. Matthew Colflesh of Trinity Health System in Steubenville, who said things are much different there than in the spring and summer and Jasmine Shavers, a nurse in Dayton at Miami Valley Hospital.
You can listen to their stories below:
BUSINESS SECTOR RESOURCES
OHIO TO WORK
In September, the state launched Ohio to Work with Jobs Ohio in an effort to help Ohioans looking for a job during the pandemic to have a better chance of finding one. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the pilot program in the Greater Cleveland area had positive results.
The October Ohio to Work Virtual Career Fair had:
- More than 30 employers
- Over 1,000 open jobs
- More than 700 job seekers in attendance.
The next Virtual Career fair is Thursday, Dec. 10. Register online here.
BUREAU OF WORKERS COMPENSATION DIVIDENDS
Employers should expect their checks in the mail in mid-December, Husted said.
These checks are in addition to the $3 billion sent out in October, bringing the total dividends this year to nearly $8 billion.
BAR AND RESTAURANT ASSISTANCE
Less than half of eligible permit holders have applied to the Bar and Restaurant Assistance Fund, Husted said Tuesday.
These payments are not competitive, meaning if a business is eligible, it will receive a payment. Those with more than one business location can receive $2,500 per location.
SPORTS
Some schools have already pulled back on sports until after the first of the year. However, for those who have continued with athletics, DeWine has those games to continue without fans.
WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW
MONDAY
On Monday, the governor gathered with leaders from the Ohio Hospital Association, who warned that should things continue at its current pace, hospitals won't be able to keep up.
Dr. Robert Wyllie with the Cleveland Clinic said that there are currently 970 caregivers out in their hospital system alone after they contracted or were exposed to COVID-19.
"When you have 970 caregivers plus out, that means it is starting to affect our ability to care for patients," he said.
As staff is stretched thin, OHA leaders said some hospitals have already begun cutting services.
"In the next few weeks, every hospital in the state is going to have to make tough decisions about how it will staff its beds, what elective procedures they'll have to postpone, even potentially postponing ambulatory and outpatient office visits," Dr. Andy Thomas with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center said.
Dr. Richard Lofgren with UC Health said the spread of coronavirus in the state is reaching a point where it will start to impact non-COVID-19 patients.
"The growth in hospitalizations exponential. We're not planning for the surge - the surge is here. We're approaching the point where the influx of COVID patients will displace non-COVID care," he said.
RELATED: 'The surge is here' | Ohio hospitals reach critical point as COVID-19 puts strain on staffing
Monday also brought the highest daily increase in COVID-19 cases. However, it should be noted, that the high jump in cases was partly caused by technical problems experienced by two state labs. However, at the time of his press conference, there were still a large number of antigen tests pending. DeWine said Ohioans would not be able to get a clear picture of just how many new cases of COVID-19 there were that day.
