COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine pleaded with parents and school leaders Tuesday to have students mask up in class, though he stopped short of issuing any mandates to thwart the current COVID-19 surge.
DeWine, alongside Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, held an afternoon press conference, detailing the stark change in the landscape of the pandemic.
According to ODH, there were 3,235 new COVID-19 infections Tuesday, which is about 1,000 more than the week prior. With the positivity rate nearing 9%, it's very possible the state goes over 4,000 in the coming days, as Wednesdays and Thursdays typically are high case days.
Tuesday also brought 220 new hospitalizations, bringing the highest single-day reporting in Ohio since Feb. 10. There is now a total of 1,575 patients in Ohio hospitals getting treated for COVID-19, the highest since Feb. 15.
SCHOOLS
Students are either just starting school or are only weeks away from heading back to class, and while DeWine did not issue any mandates Tuesday, he was clear in his stance on how school districts should proceed.
"The best way to keep kids in school is for that child to be vaccinated – if they cannot be vaccinated, the best way to keep them in school is for them to wear a maks in class," DeWine said.
The governor first turned to school district leaders in the state, asking those that have chosen to not require masks to reconsider, even if it is just in the short term.
"The next few weeks we know the virus spread level will be very high. You can always go back to no masks once the spread is reduced," DeWine said.
He then spoke directly to parents, reminding them that they have the right to send their child to class with a mask, whether the school is requiring their use or not.
"Our children simply cannot afford another disrupted school year," DeWine said.
The concern centered around the uncertainty of a school's ability to function should an outbreak occur, especially with the combination of potentially low mask compliance and a variant like delta that has proven itself to be more contagious.
"We had experience with kids in masks last school year – we have no experience with kids in school with no masks during a pandemic," DeWine said.
The governor cited outbreaks among school districts in the southern part of the country. A school in Orlando, Florida, he said, started off its semester with masks optional. However, school leaders are now reporting more than 470 cases among students and teachers, with more than 1,060 in isolation or quarantine. In South Carolina, the state's biggest school district was forced to return to virtual learning after just weeks of in-person classes.
DELTA VARIANT
DeWine said Tuesday his team had a "moral obligation" to lay out to Ohioans the facts as the state sees another uptick in cases and hospitalizations, which Vanderhoff attributed to the delta variant.
Between July 18-31, Vanderhoff said that delta and its sublineages made up almost 90 percent of all COVID-19 infections.
The ODH director reiterated that delta is more contagious than not only previous COVID-19 variants, but the cold and flu, and he called it much more harmful. Reports indicate that patients infected with the delta variant have a higher likelihood of hospitalization or morbidity.
He also noted that there is mounting evidence that the viral load with delta could be significantly higher than the other variants.
"The bottom line is that COVID is a very bad virus, even for our children. Without a doubt, vaccination is our best defense," Vanderhoff said.
During the last briefing, held on Aug. 13, Vanderhoff also said individuals who are immunocompromised can receive a third coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine shot, noting the third shot would be helpful in boosting the immune systems of those who could be especially susceptible to COVID-19.
At that time, Vanderhoff also stressed that those who are otherwise healthy do not need a third COVID-19 shot and that the two-shot regimen has remained effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death from the coronavirus. Two weeks ago, DeWine revealed that 98 percent of the state's COVID-19-related hospitalizations have been unvaccinated patients.
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