Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for February 2, 2021

Below are the updates from Governor DeWine’s press conference. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Thursday, February 4^th at 2:00 PM.  

Here’s the news from Tuesday: 

• Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
• 785,395 confirmed cases
• 117,341 probable cases  
• 902,736 total cases
• 46,659 hospitalizations
• 10,084 confirmed deaths
• 1,252 probable deaths
• 11,336 total deaths
• 6,730 ICU admissions  
• More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE. 

EQUITY UDPATE 

• Governor DeWine today outlined steps that Ohio has taken and will take to address inequities in healthcare as they relate to vaccine accessibility.  

• Geography
• Instead of offering the "mega vaccination sites" being seen in other states, Ohio's vaccination plan focuses on ensuring that there are multiple vaccine providers in every county in the state. This week, more than 700 providers across Ohio are receiving the vaccine to help ensure that Ohioans have access to vaccine close to home. 
• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
• These health centers serve highly vulnerable neighborhoods. Ohio's vaccination plan offers vaccines at these facilities for equitable distribution. More than 60 of these centers are receiving vaccine this week.
• Pop-up Vaccine Sites
• Ohio is working with FQHCs, faith-based communities, and local health departments to pilot pop-up vaccination sites in at-risk communities.  Two sites were hosted at an FQHC in Columbus last week and another pop-up vaccination site is scheduled this week in Cleveland.
• Transportation
• The Ohio Department of Health is working with the Ohio Department of Medicaid to provide transportation options for those who want to receive the vaccine but face transportation barriers.
• Local Health Departments
• Many local health departments are prioritizing underserved populations by partnering with organizations that work to serve African American, Hispanic and Latino, and other underserved populations to provide education and offer opportunities for vaccination when vaccine becomes available.
• Education and Communication Strategies
• In addition to newspaper, television, and radio advertisements focused on reaching underserved populations, Ohio will also launch a series of virtual town hall meetings to gain a better understanding of the barriers to vaccination and develop solutions.
• The events will be coordinated in partnership with Ohio's Minority Health Vaccine Advisory Group, whose mission is to help advise the Ohio Department of Health on how to best deliver the vaccine to underserved populations and better ensure equity.
• The townhalls will be live-streamed during the week of February 22. To learn how to participate in these events, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.
• Affordable Housing Vaccination Clinics
• Next week, the Ohio Department of Aging, in partnership with key state and local organizations, will offer on-site vaccination clinics at affordable senior housing communities as part of its Regional Rapid Response Program.
• On-site clinics will be coordinated with support from the Ohio National Guard. 

VACCINATION STATUS UPDATE

• Governor DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine both received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine this morning from Dr. Kevin Sharrett at Kettering Health Network's Jamestown office in Greene County.
  • The DeWines became eligible for the vaccine this week as part of the 70 and older age group. 

• Those currently eligible to receive vaccine in Ohio are:
  • Those 70 years of age and older
  • Teachers and school personnel who are necessary for in-person learning in specified counties
  • Individuals with severe congenital, early-onset, or inherited conditions and with developmental or intellectual disabilities 

• Individuals with severe congenital, early-onset, or inherited conditions and developmental or intellectual disabilities should have been contacted by their local county board of developmental disabilities to schedule their vaccination.
  • If you believe that you or a loved one falls into this category and hasn't been contacted, please contact your county board of developmental disabilities.

NURSING/ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES

• Of Ohio's 920 skilled nursing facilities, Ohio has administered first doses of vaccine in 100 percent of these facilities. The second dose has been given in 89 percent of facilities. 

• Of Ohio's 645 assisted living facilities, Ohio has administered first doses in 86 percent of these facilities, and second doses have been administered in 48 percent of facilities. 

• Plans are in place to continue vaccinating in these facilities as new residents move in. 

LONG-TERM CARE REVACCINATIONS

• Today, Walgreens Pharmacy alerted the Ohio Department of Health that vaccines that had not been stored under the proper cold storage conditions were administered yesterday to some residents in five long-term care facilities. 

• Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, residents who received these vaccines will be revaccinated.
• The impacted facilities are: 
  • Ashtabula County Residential Services Corp "The Maples" in Kingsville 
  • Ashtabula Towers in Ashtabula 
  • Heather Hill Care Communities in Chardon 
  • Six Chimneys in Cleveland 
  • Willow Park Convalescent Home in Cleveland 

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - DATAOHIO

• Lt. Governor Jon Husted today announced that the Ohio Department of Education is the latest agency to join the DataOhio portal, with seven key datasets and visualizations added on January 29, 2021 

• The DataOhio Portal launched in December of 2020 to the public and features more than 200 datasets and over 100 visualizations from four State of Ohio agencies.
• Nearly half of the datasets added to the portal are available to the public for the first time.

• Users can view these newest datasets and visualizations under “Recent Datasets” at Data.Ohio.Gov.
• The DataOhio Portal team continues to add additional agency datasets, visualizations, and portal features, with a new Agency being announced in the coming weeks, including additional Ohio Department of Education datasets and visualizations.

INVESTING IN OHIO:  OHIO’s FY 22-23 OPERATING BUDGET

• Yesterday Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted unveiled their Executive Budget for Fiscal Years 2022 to 2023, which includes an aggressive plan to spur Ohio’s continued recovery by investing in communities, people, and businesses. 

• Through the Investing In Ohio Initiative, the Executive Budget launches a strategic effort to invest more than $1 billion toward accelerating economic growth and ensuring economic vitality. 

• Attached are statements of support for Governor DeWine’s Executive budget, applauding him for a responsible, balanced budget that invests in our health, educational and economic recovery from the pandemic, and maintains investments in key initiatives such as RecoveryOhio, Children’s Initiative, H2Ohio, workforce development, TechCred, and broadband.

Attached are the slides that Governor DeWine used during today’s press conference.

Ohioans can apply for unemployment benefits online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at unemployment.ohio.gov. It is also possible to file by phone at 877-644-6562 or TTY at 888- 642-8203, Monday through Friday 7AM to 7PM, Saturday 9AM to 5PM, and Sunday 9AM to 1PM. Employers with questions should email UCTech@jfs.ohio.gov.  

As always, Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov and the Department of Health hotline, 1-833-4-ASK-ODH are great resources for those who have questions.