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DeWine Says Of COVID Cases: "This Should Scare You"

Ohio Department of Health
/
coronavirus.ohio.gov

With most of the drama of the election over, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine says Ohioans have to focus on shutting down the spread of COVID-19.  

For the third time this week health officials reportored a record one-day count.  And the 4,961 cases reported Thursday are five times the number of daily cases reported just a month ago.  DeWine says the rise is the positivity rate is also worrisome:

"Since September 24th the total number of tests has increased about 44%.  But if you look at the increased percentage of cases during that same period of time, it's gone up 280%.  Obviously the increase in cases is not caused just by the increase in testing."
 
The number of people currently hospitalized is also also hitting all time highs.  There are 2,075 - more than 50% higher than just two weeks ago.  A record number of people - 541 - are in intensive care units.  And DeWine says the rate is increasing faster than at any time since the beginning of the pandemic in March.  

The Governor says 56 of Ohio's 88 counties are listed in the red on the state's color-coded public health advisory map, also the highest number since the state began tracking.  And while no counties have been elevated to purple, the highest level alert, DeWine says the entire state is considered "high incidence" according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

"This should scare you.  That you have this much threat in your home town. Because there's nobody's home town that doesn't has this spread.  We hope that citizens will take this information and understand the gravity of what they're seeing."

DeWine-2.mp3

DeWine hinted that new public health orders may be coming, although he declined to give specifics.  Given the nature of the spread of COVID-19, he says future actions will be statewide.

A native of Chicago, naturalized citizen of Cincinnati and resident of Columbus, Alison attended Earlham College and the Ohio State University. She has equal passion for Midwest history, hockey and Slavic poetry.
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