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Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for Thursday January 28, 2021

Below are the updates from Governor DeWine’s press conference. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021 at 2:00 PM.  

Here’s the news from Thursday: 

  • Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
    • 771,743 confirmed cases
    • 111,973 probable cases  
    • 883,716 total cases
    • 45,786 hospitalizations
    • 9,803 confirmed deaths
    • 1,203 probable deaths
    • 11,006 total deaths
    • 6,644 ICU admissions  
    • More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE. 

K-12 STAFF VACCINATIONS

  • Every public school district in the state - except for one - has agreed to resume in-person schooling by March 1 which was a requirement for staff to have early access to the vaccine. 
  • K-12 schools whose staff can be vaccinated next week have been notified. 
  • All other schools will be contacted Friday January 29th with information on when their K-12 staff will be permitted to receive a vaccine.
    • More details on Ohio's K-12 vaccination process will also be released tomorrow. 
  • The plan ensures that the maximum number of people can be vaccinated in the shortest amount of time.
    • The plan also makes the process as simple as possible for staff to be vaccinated and is organized to allow most K-12 staff in a county to be vaccinated within seven days of their assigned vaccination start date. 

PANDEMIC IMPACTS ON K-12 STUDENTS

  • Ohio has prioritized getting K-12 students back in schools by March 1 because many adolescents’ social-emotional and mental well-being has been impacted by the pandemic. 
  • According to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the change of routine and the constant uncertainty of the pandemic produces anxiety, and the disconnection from learning, emotional, and social supports can lead to depression. In addition, missed significant life events like graduations, proms, art performances, science competitions, sports, and more can result in grief. 
  • Trained counselors with Ohio's CareLine are available 24/7 at 1-800-720-9616.  They can help with a crisis, provide guidance, and connect callers to help in the community. 

OHIO PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY SYSTEM:

  • This week's Ohio Public Health Advisory System map shows little change. 
  • Hamilton County is no longer listed as a Level 4 (Purple) Public Emergency, but the rest of the state remains the same as last week.

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.

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