Record-setting week capped by 7,715 cases
The pace of new coronavirus cases in Ohio slowed on Saturday to cap a record-setting week that brought the threat of business shutdowns to slow the rapidly rising cases.
The state reported 7,715 new cases on Saturday, down slightly from a record 8,071 on Friday. The pace of new cases has been accelerating in Ohio, increasing from an average of about 1,000 per day in mid-september to the record-busting counts over the last week.
While cases did tick down on Saturday, they still sat well above the 21day average of 4,497. Another 22 were hospitalized and 14 had died from the coronavirus as of Saturday, the state reported. The positivity rate hit 13.2% on Thursday, the most-recent day for which data are available.
Since the start of the pandemic, Ohio has had 290,243 cases, and 5,714 have died from the virus. A total of 22,076 have been hospitalized with the virus, and 4,187 were admitted to intensivecare units.
Nearly 5.2 million tests have been administered in Ohio, according to the state.
Ohio’s rapidly rising case count prompted Gov. Mike Dewine to threaten the closure of bars, restaurants and gyms if Ohioans can’t curb the spread of the virus.
He also issued a revised mask order on Friday evening that requires retail customers age 10 or older and employees to wear masks, effective Monday, under threat of a second violation closing a location for up to 24 hours.
In a previously unannounced provision, retailers must designate a “compliance officer” to ensure everyone wears masks upon entry during all business hours. Retail employees are not required to place themselves “in jeopardy or risk harm” in enforcing the mask order.
The order authorizes local health departments and police agencies to enforce the order, with newly designated state agents also to check on compliance. The order does not apply to restaurants, bars, banquet halls, gymnasiums, barber shops, hair salons and other businesses under alternate mask orders.
After it took Ohio 194 days to move from 1,000 to 3,000 cases a day between mid-april and late October, it took only 15 days to skyrocket to the 8,000-case mark.
Hospital officials have said they are being stretched as cases have risen over the last several weeks.
On Saturday, the number of virus patients in hospitals increased again to 3,104, up from 2,981 on Friday. A total of 767 are in intensive-care units, and 356 are on ventilators.
After a week in which Dewine gave an evening address directly to Ohioans as cases soared, the governor turned Saturday afternoon to his Twitter account to again implore Ohioans to wear masks to stop the spread of the virus.
“If we can get mask-wearing up, and if we can see things move in the right direction, we may never have to consider any shutdowns,” Dewine wrote in the post. “But we’ve got to see some indication that Ohioans are working together to slow this down. We have the tools in our hands to fight back.”
Covid-relief grants
Humana Inc., a health insurance company, is collaborating with community service organizations in Ohio to provide more than $1.6 million in financial grants for COVID-19 relief.
The foundation has given more than $1 million in direct relief to nonprofit organizations including three free health care clinics in Columbus, and contributed $400,000 to the Ohio Association of Food Banks and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio.
“At a time when so many people are relying on our services, it’s more important than ever that we’re able to serve the community without disruption,” Lisa Hamler-fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Food Banks, said in a news release.
Humana has also distributed about 11,000 PPE masks to the Ohio Children’s Alliance and the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers.
“During the midst of this ongoing crisis, community nonprofits are providing vital frontline services,” Nisha Patel, Humana’s regional vice president of health services, said in a news release.
Dispatch reporters Randy Ludlow and Megan Henry contributed to this report. rrouan@dispatch.com @Rickrouan