Continuing violence illustrates scope of problem
An elderly woman died after she was found shot Thursday morning in a parked car at Griggs Reservoir Park on the Northwest Side.
The homicide, the city's 132nd of 2020, is the latest result of rising gun violence in Columbus and Franklin County in recent days and weeks.
Sgt. James Fuqua, Columbus police spokesman, said a 911 caller reported shots being fired around 11:15 a.m. Friday in the park near Riverside Drive and Nottingham Avenue, and a passerby reported a woman slumped over the steering wheel of a car.
When officers arrived, they found an elderly woman who was shot and unresponsive in a parked car at the park. She was taken in critical condition to Ohiohealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 11:36 a.m., Fuqua said.
shows. As of Thursday, 190,430 Ohioans have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joined Dewine on Thursday to talk about his experience battling COVID-19. Christie, who like Dewine has asthma, was hospitalized with the virus for a week earlier this fall.
Christie said he made a huge mistake by taking his mask off while attending some activities at the White House, where he suspects he contracted the virus.
“I thought I was safe and I was wrong. I got tested every day when I walked onto the grounds of the White House,” said Christie, who has been helping President Donald Trump in his debate preparations.
“This is one of the most unpredictable, random and brutal viruses you'll ever see. …There's no place to hide from this virus.”
Christie was one of a few dozen people thought to have contracted the virus at a White House event announcing Trump's pick to fill a U.S. Supreme Court seat. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has called the outdoor gathering at the White House a “superspreader” event due to the high number of people thought to have become infected with COVID-19.
The president was also hospitalized for the virus, and several others at the White House also fell ill, including First Lady Melania Trump, their son Barron Trump and two U.S. senators.
The total number of Ohioans hospitalized with COVID-19 continued to climb Thursday, surpassing the previous record.
There are 1,293 Ohioans hospitalized with the virus, including 345 in intensive care units and 172 on ventilators, according to the state.
An additional 159 Ohioans were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday. That's more than the three-week average of 99 new hospitalizations reported per day, state data shows. Admissions to ICUS increased Thursday by 25, which is more than the three-week average of 17 new ICU admissions a day, according to the state.
Deaths in Ohio on Thursday rose by 12, which is less than the three-week average of 16 deaths reported per day. The virus has killed 5,161 Ohioans, according to the state.
A record 38 of Ohio's 88 counties are at a red Level 3 COVID-19 advisory, up from 29 counties last week. Franklin County remains at a red Level 3 advisory, while Clark, Cuyahoga and Hamilton counties are on the brink of being elevated to the highest warning, a purple Level 4 advisory.
The changes mean 74% of Ohioans are living in a “red county” and just 1% are living in a county with the lowest warning, a yellow Level 1 advisory, DeWine said.
The percent of Ohioans testing positive for the virus the previous seven days rose to 5% as of Tuesday, the most recent day for which data is available, according to the state.
On Aug. 12, the seven-day positive rate was 5.2%, marking the last time the metric was that high. The positive rate was at its lowest on Sept. 23 at 2.7%, according to the state.
More than 4 million COVID-19 tests have been administered across Ohio since the pandemic began in March.
Franklin County added one death and 245 cases by Thursday, meaning deaths rose by 0.15% and cases increased by 0.78%, data shows. In total, Franklin County has reported 31,466 cases and 640 deaths, according to the state.
“It's multiplying very quickly. But it will continue to do that unless we do something differently …” Dewine said of the virus. “We've done it twice before and we can do it again.” mfilby@dispatch.com @Maxfilby