WILMINGTON — Clinton County’s number of coronavirus cases has risen from 20 to 24 in the past day — 20 confirmed cases (11 women and nine men ranging from ages 26 to 78) and four probable cases, according to county officials Wednesday.
The total of confirmed cases includes eight who have recovered.
Statewide
The State of Ohio reports — as of Wednesday’s update — 7,791 total cases (including probable cases) in Ohio, with 677 ICU admissions, 2,237 hospitalizations and 361 deaths.
At his daily briefing and via Twitter on Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced an expansion of Ohio’s partnership with Battelle to extend their sanitization services to law enforcement agencies and EMS providers in Ohio.
“Our Ohio Department of Public Safety and Battelle have now partnered to sanitize N-95 masks for all of Ohio’s first responders,” said DeWine, adding that, “Battelle is providing this service for free.
He said, “Our Ohio State Highway Patrol has developed a statewide collection and distribution system to make this process as simple as possible for local first responders.”
Beginning Friday, local law enforcement agencies and EMS agencies can bring their packaged N-95 masks to any OSHP post in the state.
“The patrol will then bring those masks to Battelle here in Columbus. Battelle will sanitize them,” said DeWine. “The OSHP will bring the masks back to each post, and agencies can then come back and pick them up.
“This will contribute greatly to our efforts to protect Ohio’s protectors. The OSP will be sending out guidelines to local law enforcement and EMS agencies soon on how the masks must be packaged.”
DeWine said, “Health systems worldwide have struggled because of the critical shortage of test kit components, including the swabs used to collect samples and the sterile solution needed to transport the swabs. Recognizing the shortage, a rapidly assembled team of Ohio State researchers worked overnight and, within 24 hours, created an in house ‘recipe’ to make the crucial liquid transport medium.”
He said, “The first order of 15,000 3D printed swabs for COVID-19 test kits will be delivered to Ohio State, with a target of 200,000 swabs and swab kits to be shared in partnership with our Ohio Department of Health and hospital systems in Ohio, allowing more people to be tested by the end of April.”
DeWine also spoke about the 2020 U.S. Census, saying, “Right now, Ohio’s response rate is higher than the national average and higher than all our neighboring states, except Michigan. (Ohio’s response rate is 52.2%, the National Average is 48.6% and Michigan’s rate is 55%.)
He encouraged all Buckeyes to complete the census and overtake the response rate of Michigan.
