ODH: ‘We’re succeeding’ but it’s not over yet

COLUMBUS — Though state health officials projected Ohio could see as many as 10,000 new coronavirus infections per day in the weeks to come, the latest models now predict it could be 1,600 per day.

Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio Department of Health director, said during a Wednesday briefing on the state's coronavirus response that's the result of intense virus mitigation efforts like social distancing, state-ordered closures and a stay-at-home order. She's said before it would likely take weeks before Ohioans could see the impacts of those efforts — and a chart she showed Wednesday presented a thoroughly "squashed" curve.

But the fight is far from over, officials warned.

"Every single modeler, everyone who talks about it is saying we must keep doing what we're doing. We're succeeding," Acton said. "But the second you ease back, we'll see ourselves in an outbreak that will overwhelm our hospital system.

"We've got to hold steady the course."

Below are the data Acton presented during the Wednesday briefing. To view a full-sized version, click the icon in the upper-right:

In response to a question about nursing home assistance in counties like Mahoning — which has the highest number of deaths in the state, 43 percent of which were in long-term care facilities, local officials said Wednesday — Acton reiterated that nursing homes and other congregate settings in the state are the most at-risk for an outbreak of the virus, adding that Ohio nursing homes are "struggling" with a shortage of personal protective equipment.

She urged nursing home operators that are struggling to contain the spread of the virus to reach out to their local health department for help with identifying resources. ODH and Ohio Department of Medicaid-led teams have been visiting the hardest-hit facilities to advise on patient movement and ensuring all nursing homes are following consistent virus management guidelines, she said.

Acton said she feels nursing homes in Ohio "have been open" about surging cases inside their facilities and that local health departments should be reporting those "hotspots" to residents.

She added as reports on new hospitalizations and deaths may lag newly reported cases by several weeks, she expects daily news to "sound grim for quite some time to come."

"We're going in the right direction," Acton assured.

Also delivering an afternoon address was Kimberly Hall, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, who said the department's top priority is managing and responding to an overwhelming surge of "hundreds of thousands" of new unemployment claims filed in the state since March 15.

So far, the state has paid out about $124 million to 195,000 Ohioans who are out of work due to the pandemic.

The department's call center is hiring more phone workers and bolstering technological capacity. Its call center is now operating around the clock and is expected to employ more than 1,000 people by the end of the week, Hall said.

The department is also working to expand services for the self-employed and other groups who previously were ineligible for unemployment, but for whom the federal government has since expanded coverage due to COVID-19.

The state's job search website now features more than 33,000 jobs from about 480 employers statewide that are considered "essential" or play a critical role in supply chains for health care, manufacturing and food distribution, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Wednesday. To view those jobs, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov/jobsearch.

Here are other developments around the state and nation:

• According to the latest figures Wednesday from the Ohio Department of Health, the state is reporting 5,148 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in 83 of its 88 counties. There have been 305 confirmed cases in Mahoning County; 129 in Trumbull County; and 71 in Columbiana County. Trumbull County's figures are more current than what the state reported Wednesday.

• Statewide, there have been 193 deaths, including 28 in Mahoning County; 8 in Trumbull; and 6 in Columbiana. Mahoning County's 28 reported COVID-19 deaths remains the highest among Ohio's 88 counties; Cuyahoga County is second with 23.

• The City of Youngstown on Wednesday evening reported 46 total confirmed cases, which includes 26 hospitalizations and three deaths. To opt into COVID-19 text alerts from the city, text YCOVID19 to 888777. Message and data rates may apply.

• Youngstown State University engineering faculty have developed a 3D-printed filtration cartridge that will fit on protective masks of medical workers on the front lines of the pandemic. It is now being reviewed by the National Institute of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and Veterans Affairs.

• Cubbison Company, a Victoria Road manufacturer considered "critical" to the manufacturing supply chain, has been contracted to make 20,000 face shields which will be distributed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The company has split its 75 employees into two shifts to "eliminate as much personal interaction as possible," according to a Wednesday release.

• Youngstown Business Incubator is hosting a series of COVID-19 relief webinars for small businesses, explaining disaster relief funding options and answering questions on the process for receiving assistance. The next webinar is set for noon Friday. To register, visit YBI.org/coronavirus.

• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday that a corrections officer from Ohio's Marion Correctional Institution has died from COVID-19. So far, 48 workers and 17 inmates at seven Ohio prisons have tested positive for the virus, the governor said.

• DeWine also announced Wednesday Apple Inc. has donated 100,000 N95 masks to Ohio. He thanked Apple CEO Tim Cook and promised the gear, which is facing extreme demand nationwide, would be "well-used" in the state.

• Ohio is receiving $7.3 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and $894,035 in Department of Health and Human Services funding will be directed at fighting the coronavirus pandemic in Northeast Ohio.

• Ohio has about 320 farmers markets and more than 75,000 farms, and now food policy and farm groups in the state are urging lawmakers to create aid targeting family farms that might otherwise be overlooked.

• Ohio's tax revenue in March came in $159.4 million below the monthly estimate, an indication of the pandemic's impact on the state's economy, according to preliminary estimates from the Office of Budget and Management.

• Ohio's Northern District U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman is encouraging medical professionals to report price gouging or hoarding of medical supplies during the pandemic. You can report COVID-19-related fraud to the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 866-720-5721 or email tips to the Northern District office at USAOHN.COVID19@usdoj.gov.

• According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday, there are 16,239 COVID-19 cases in the state which have led to 310 deaths. There are 32 cases in Lawrence County with 2 deaths; 27 cases in Mercer County with no known deaths.

• The Pennsylvania House approved a measure Tuesday that aims to create a pandemic recovery task force and give the Legislature an opportunity to refinance the state's debt load and generate savings amid dwindling tax revenues as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 4:11 AM with the headline "ODH: ‘We’re succeeding’ but it’s not over yet."