Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for Tuesday, August 11

Below are the updates from yesterday’s press conference with Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Thursday, August 13^th at 2:00 PM.   

Here’s the news from Tuesday: 

• Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
• 97,373 confirmed cases
• 5,453 probable cases  
• 102,826 total cases
• 11,760 hospitalizations
• 3,435 confirmed deaths
• 273 probable deaths
• 3,708 total deaths
• 2,699 ICU admissions
• More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE. 

• Governor DeWine continued to stress the importance of masks, social distancing, and proper hygiene as Ohio's school students approach the start of the upcoming school year. Currently, Ohio has left the decision to individual school districts on how to approach the new school year. 

• According to information gathered by the Ohio Department of Education, 325 public school districts in Ohio are planning to return to school full-time which equates to approximately 590,000 students. A total of 55 districts representing approximately 398,000 public school students will begin the school year remotely.  Approximately 380,000 students in 154 public school districts will start the school year with a hybrid of online and in-person learning. Information on 78 public school distracts was not readily available. Attached is the education model planned for the start of SY21. 

• Also participating in today's briefing were Dr. John Barnard from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Dr. Patty Manning from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Adam Mezoff from Dayton Children’s Hospital. These experts discussed the prevalence of COVID-19 among children; how to prevent spread in schools by wearing masks, practicing social distancing, maintaining good hand hygiene, keeping surfaces clean, and ensuring good ventilation; and what schools can do if a student or staff member tests positive. Attached is Dr. Mezoff's presentation. 

• Governor DeWine shared updated data on the percentage of cases in Ohio by age group. The data shows a significant increase in positive cases among younger adults over the summer, particularly in the age range of 20-29. Attached is a graph with the percentage of cases by age group. 

• 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.