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Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for September 17

Below are the updates from Governor DeWine’s press conference. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd at 2:00 PM.   

Here’s the news from Thursday: 

  • Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
    • 134,001 confirmed cases
    • 7,584 probable cases  
    • 141,585 total cases
    • 14,625 hospitalizations
    • 4,282 confirmed deaths
    • 298 probable deaths
    • 4,580 total deaths
    • 3,149 ICU admissions
    • More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE.
    • Upgraded to Level 3 (Red): Portage
    • Remaining at Level 3 (Red): Butler, Mercer, Montgomery, and Putnam
    • Downgraded to Level 2 (Orange): Preble
    • Downgraded to Level 1 (Yellow): Summit
    • There are no counties on Ohio’s Watch List 
  • Governor DeWine announced the state has launched the Schools Dashboard and the Children’s Dashboard to provide school districts and parents the best information to make decisions about their child’s education and social interactions. The Schools Dashboard will show new and cumulative COVID cases reported to schools by parents/guardians and staff. Schools are required to report cases to their assigned Local Health Department who then report to the Ohio Department of Health. 
  • The Children’s Dashboard, developed in consultation with the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, includes information about cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 among children aged 0-17 in Ohio by selected demographics and county of residence. Both dashboards are available at coronavirus.ohio.gov. 
  • Governor DeWine announced that the state of Ohio has its first, documented case of the flu in Putnam County. He reminded Ohioans of the importance of getting a flu shot this year to reduce the spread of the flu and its impact on our hospital systems. While it doesn’t protect you from COVID-19, it does provide another layer of protection to keep yourself, your family, friends and communities healthy. Anyone without a primary healthcare provider can visit vaccinefinder.org to find nearby pharmacies and other healthcare locations offering the flu vaccine.
  • Governor DeWine announced that the state has released a Rapid Response Guide for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers. This guide will support local health districts in developing culturally appropriate plans to respond to outbreaks in the migrant and seasonal farmworker communities. In addition, the Ohio Department of Health is awarding $2.6 million in CARES Act funding to agricultural camp operators to improve the health and safety of migrant workers worksites and camps to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. 
  • In response to media questions, Governor DeWine reminded Ohioans that if they have a loved one living in a nursing home, state health orders permit visitation, under certain health guidelines, including visitation taking place outdoors and the wearing of facial coverings.  In the coming weeks, orders will be updated to include health guidelines for indoor visitation in anticipation of the winter months. 
  • Governor DeWine provided an update on Ohio’s Coronavirus Wastewater Surveillance Network. Since mid-July the network has been monitoring income waste at wastewater treatment plants around the state to test for gene fragments of COVID-19. Ohio is currently testing in more than 30 cities across the state and will expand testing to more than 50 locations in the next month. The state will continue to closely monitor the wastewater data and ensure communities are aware of trending increases in gene copies to assist with quick response and prevent further spread of disease. 
  • Governor DeWine reminded parents that Halloween activities will be different this year than in years past. He encouraged parents and children to wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid large groups, and to stay home if sick. Final decisions on whether to hold or participate in trick-or-treating or other events should be made by local communities, individuals, and parents. The state will be developing guidance for Halloween and it will be posted on coronavirus.ohio.gov to help communities and families plan for the holiday. 
  • Governor DeWine announced that the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has started distributing $300 per week in Lost Wages Assistance to eligible unemployment insurance recipients. This assistance is available to Ohioans who received traditional unemployment benefits, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Trade Readjustment Assistance, SharedWork Ohio or extended benefits for weeks ending August 1st through September 5th. PUA claimants will receive payments first, in a staggered manner with individual payments for each week they qualified for the program.  For Ohioans receiving other types of unemployment benefits, there will be one retroactive payment for all weeks they qualify. Updates on this process can be found at jfs.ohio.gov/lwa. 
  • Attached are the slides that Governor DeWine used during today’s press conference.

  • Ohioans filed 16,294 initial jobless claims last week, according to statistics the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported to the U.S. Dept. of Labor today.  Ohioans filed 320,532 continued jobless claims last week, which was 455,770 fewer than – or less than half (about 41%) of – the peak earlier this year. 
  • Over the last 26 weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $6.3 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 804,000 Ohioans. Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, more than 94% have been processed, with less than 6% pending. In addition, ODJFS has issued more than $5.6 billion in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments to more than 561,000 PUA claimants. 
  • 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.

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