Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for Thursday, January 21

Below are the updates from Governor DeWine’s press conference. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Tuesday, January 26^th at 2:00 PM.  

Here’s the news from Thursday: 

• Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
• 746,398 confirmed cases
• 103,306 probable cases  
• 849,704 total cases
• 44,315 hospitalizations
• 9,402 confirmed deaths
• 1,116 probable deaths
• 10,518 total deaths
• 6,465 ICU admissions  
• More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE. 

PHASE 1B VACCINATIONS

• Governor DeWine discussed the vaccine distribution for Phase 1B, which began this week for those ages 80 and up. 

• Beginning next week, vaccinations are anticipated to begin for those ages 75 and up. 

• Vaccinations will also be available to those with severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset medical disorders, and who have a developmental or intellectual disability.
• A representative from the local county developmental disabilities board will reach out to help coordinate receipt of the vaccination for Ohioans with severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset medical disorders, as well as a developmental or intellectual disability. 

IN-HOME RAPID TEST

• Governor DeWine announced that the state is purchasing 2 million at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests using telehealth services where the results are delivered in minutes without the need to send the test to a lab for processing.
• Developed by Abbott, BinaxNOW is an easy-to-use antigen test that detects the virus when people are most infectious. 

• To facilitate the delivery of the BinaxNOW test to the home and the guided collection and testing process, Abbott has partnered with digital health solutions provider eMed™, who will deliver people their results through Abbott’s complementary NAVICA™app in a matter of minutes. eMed™ will report the rapid test results in the electronic lab reporting system. 

• This partnership will provide at least 2 million of the BinaxNow tests for Ohioans as, Abbot, eMed™, and the Ohio Department of Health pursue innovative efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic. 

CURFEW EXTENSION

• Governor DeWine announced that the Ohio Department of Health will extend Ohio's 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.   
• The curfew does not apply to those going to and from work, those who have an emergency, or those who need medical care. The curfew is not intended to stop anyone from getting groceries or going to the pharmacy. 
• Picking up carry-out or a drive-thru meal and ordering for delivery is permitted, but serving food and drink within an establishment must cease at 10:00 p.m. 

OHIO COUNTY COVID DATA

• A county-by-county breakdown outlining the presence of COVID-19 in all of Ohio's 88 counties can be found on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System's website. 

• All 88 counties have a level of spread that is at least three times more than what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers high incidence. 

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.