COLUMBUS — The State of Ohio on Thursday reported yet another daily record high of new COVID-19 cases — 3,590. It’s the first 24-hour period of over 3,000 new cases and more than 25 percent above Saturday’s record high.
Forty-three of Ohio’s 88 counties are now at Level 3 (Red) out of 4; Clinton County remains at Level 2 (Orange) despite all counties bordering it (except Brown) being Level 3.
The Clinton County COVID-19 website — covidcc.com — reports there have been 391 confirmed cases and 132 probable ones, with 9 current hospitalizations, and 337 people have recovered. The number of deaths has remained at 13 for several weeks.
“The virus is raging throughout Ohio. There is no place to hide,” said DeWine. “All of us must come together to fight this enemy. We must fight this invader.
“Today I’m calling on the leaders of each county, each community, in Ohio to come together to create a COVID Defense Team,” he said. “This is what we need to fight back. It should include commissioners, mayors, hospital leaders, business leaders, religious leaders, health commissioner, etc. These teams should assess their county’s situation, inventory assets, and focus on what steps are needed to turn this around.
DeWine added, “Despite today’s grim data, I’m optimistic. Ohioans have the tools, they know what works, and we always rally when we need to rally. I know people will do that. We can slow down this invader. The decisions each Ohioan makes each day will determine what kind of winter we have.
He pointed out examples of gatherings or careless behavior leading to COVID-19 spread:
• “There was a funeral at the end of September that now has 19 cases associated with it. Seventeen of the cases were identified with the funeral and two cases were secondary spread.”
• “There was an outbreak among staff at a doctor’s office as a result of mask non-compliance. Staff members at the doctor’s office were either not wearing masks or were not wearing them correctly.”
• “A high school football team had 13 players with COVID-19. A couple players got each other infected and then it spread to others on the team. The spread mainly happened at informal gatherings, not regular team functions.”
DeWine reiterated to Ohioans: Wear your mask; keep distance; wash your hands; and ensure good ventilation.
