COVID-19 Update: Thanksgiving Mobility, Upcoming Holidays, Ohio National Guard Waiver

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted today provided the following updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

OHIO EXCEEDS 8,000 DEATHS

On Saturday, Ohio surpassed 8,000 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. As of today, 8,122 people infected with the coronavirus have died since the beginning of the pandemic. 

In the past 24 hours, 6,548 new cases and 301 new hospitalizations were reported. A total of 17 counties have a case rate of over 1,000, meaning that at least 1 percent of people in these counties either have or recently had the virus and are at risk of spreading it to others.

THANKSGIVING MOBILITY & UPCOMING HOLIDAYS

Ohio is not experiencing a drastic surge in cases related to Thanksgiving gatherings which is attributable to the fact that Ohioans greatly reduced their contacts and travel over the holiday. According to anonymized data published in the New York Times, there was a 60 to 70 percent reduction in contacts over the Thanksgiving holiday. 

"If we can get through Christmas and New Year’s without a significant surge, we will be much better positioned to start 2021 against this virus," said Governor DeWine. "It’s critical that we keep up the work we started over Thanksgiving for the next several weeks to prevent another surge in January."

Ohio Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff stressed the need for citizens to continue following the Stay Safe Ohio Protocol to help prevent Ohio hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. 

"Up to and through Thanksgiving, Ohioans took important steps to avoid letting COVID-19 overwhelm our hospitals, but in spite of this, our hospitals remain extremely busy," said Dr. Vanderhoff. "Adding a post-holiday spike would create a terrible situation, so we can't let ourselves be lulled into a sense of complacency as we move into the next two-week period, the biggest holiday season on our calendar."

OHIO NATIONAL GUARD WAIVER

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that the Ohio National Guard received a waiver that will allow them to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The waiver gives the Ohio National Guard the flexibility to fully utilize National Guard medical personnel trained in administering the vaccine.

The Ohio National Guard has approximately 600 members who are medical personnel, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and medics. Ohio is working to determine how it will best utilize Guard medical personnel without adversely affecting Ohio health care systems’ critical medical resources by removing Guard members from their civilian medical positions.

PHONE NUMBERS

Governor DeWine reminded doctors and others to perform COVID-19 testing to collect complete information from patients including telephone numbers. This is vital information for local health departments conducting case investigations and contact tracing.

IMAP

Lt. Governor Husted reminded Ohioans about the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program, or IMAP, which is a program available to Ohioans who are low income, partially unemployed, or totally unemployed to earn a tech-focused credential for free. There are 11 IMAP training providers and 54 eligible credentials available, and 37 of these credentials can be completed 100 percent online. Those interested should visit IMAP.Development.Ohio.gov to apply.

CURRENT CASE DATA

In total, there are 629,354 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio and 8,122 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 35,048 people have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic, including 5,537 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov. 

Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign language translation, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel's YouTube page. 

For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.

 Coping With COVID-19 Restrictions

• Go outdoors. Go for a walk or hike or visit a park. Walk your dog. Sit outside to get some fresh air. (Remember to wear sunscreen.) Prepare or plan for your spring garden.
  
• Visit with friends and family (especially those who are most at risk of loneliness) by phone or video chat. Return to the practice of writing and mailing letters.
  
• Tackle home improvement or organization projects on your to-do list. 
• Get back to at-home hobbies. Learn a new hobby online or join an online interest group. 
• Commit to a new fitness routine. Try daily yoga or meditation to deal with COVID-19-related stress. 
• Update your streaming service to-watch lists. (Don’t forget the popcorn and movie candy.) Check out these recommendations:

• The New York Times: What We’re Watching.
• New York Vulture: Vulture’s guide to the TV Shows and movies available for streaming on Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Hulu
• Rotten Tomatoes:
  • Free movies online: 100 fresh movies to watch online for free.
  • The best Netflix series and shows to watch right now.
  • The best Amazon TV shows and movies.
  • All Apple TV+ shows and movies, ranked by Tomatometer.
  • Best Hulu shows and movies by Tomatometer.
• IndieWire: The 50 Best Streaming TV Shows of All Time.
• BGR: Here are the top 20 most-watched streaming TV series of 2019 – did you see them all? 

• Catch up on your reading. Visit your library website for digital reading and audiobook resources. Some reading lists to check out:
  
• GatesNotes: Books.
• The Complete List of All 83 Books in Oprah's Book Club.
• Your gift guide: Books for all kinds of readers, from TED.
• New York Magazine Reading Lists.
• American Library Association: Recommended Reading: Adults. 

Get back to real-life puzzles and games. Some suggestions:

• USA Today: The 5 best board games to play in coronavirus quarantine (beyond Monopoly and Clue).
• Popular Mechanics: The 50 Best New Board Games.
• Better Homes&Gardens: The 50 Best Board Games of All Time.

• Discover a new app. Some ideas: 
• Digital Trends:
• The best iPhone apps (March 2020).
• The best Android apps (March 2020).
• PCMag:
• The 100 Best iPhone Apps for 2020.
• The 100 Best Android Apps for 2020.
• TechRadar:
• The best Android apps 2020.
• The best iPhone apps of 2020.

For answers to your COVID-19 questions, call 1-833-4ASKODH (1-833-427-5634).

Learn more at https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/checklists/english-checklists/covid-19-checklists

 

Myths vs. Facts: COVID-19 Vaccine

Myth: COVID-19 vaccines aren’t safe.

FACT: COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

Safety is a top priority of the U.S. vaccine safety development and approval process. The development process for COVID-19 vaccines involved several steps comparable with those used to develop other vaccines such as the flu or measles vaccine, which have successfully protected millions of Ohioans for decades. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as independent medical experts, have ensured that every detail of COVID-19 vaccines is thoroughly and rigorously evaluated. Evidence shows that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and work to prevent COVID-19. Of the first two vaccines to apply to the FDA for emergency use authorization, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was 95% effective, and the Moderna vaccine was 94% effective in phase 3 clinical trials with more than 70,000 participants between the two studies. Although the COVID-19 vaccines themselves have been developed recently, the technology used in mRNA vaccines, like those developed by Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna, has been studied for decades.

Myth: COVID-19 vaccines were rushed and developed too quickly.

FACT: COVID-19 vaccine development and clinical trials were thorough and thanks to a strategic scientific effort to streamline processes, could be developed more efficiently.

There have been no shortcuts in the vaccine development process. The process has been quicker as a result of strategic efforts to run concurrent trial phases, as well as a commitment to help condense timelines and reduce or eliminate months-long waiting periods during which documents would be prepared or be waiting for review. In addition, during the process of vaccine development, the CEOs of AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer, and Sanofi made a historic pledge to the world, outlining a united commitment to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work toward potential regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines. Messenger RNA (mRNA), used by the first two vaccines to apply for FDA emergency use authorization (Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna), while new, is not unknown. Researchers have been studying mRNA for decades, and early-stage clinical trials using mRNA vaccines have been carried out for influenza, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Recent technological advancements in RNA biology and chemistry, as well as delivery systems, have allowed these COVID-19 vaccines using mRNA to be developed as safe and effective vaccines.

Myth: COVID-19 vaccines will be mandatory for every Ohioan.

FACT: Ohio will not make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory.

The state of Ohio will not require anyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine will be available to all Ohioans who choose to receive it, as available supply of the vaccine increases.

Myth: You can get COVID-19 from COVID-19 vaccines.

Fact: COVID-19 vaccines will not give you COVID-19.

None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States use the live virus that causes COVID-19. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, vaccines. (See below for further explanation.) The goal for COVID-19 vaccines is to teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause side effects, such as fatigue, headache, soreness or redness at the injection site, and muscle or joint pain. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity. It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination, and some vaccines require two doses. That means it is possible that a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before, or just after, getting the vaccination and become sick, since it takes the vaccine time to provide protection. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.

Read More:  https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:df627b07-2407-4738-bcf0-419c2df35968

For more information, visit: coronavirus.ohio.gov 

Limited exceptions include:

• Special Circumstance: The clinical team has determined a visitor is required due to the patient’s emotional, spiritual, or physical safety status or an in-person care coordination/decision meeting is required (e.g., an oncology patient/a cath lab patient). The clinical team would determine the frequency and duration. 
• Caretaker: Visitor is/was acting as a CARETAKER for a patient that is: 
• Confirmed by the clinical team that a caretaker is currently required to support patient care
• Dependent on the caretaker prior to admission to receive assistance with activities of daily living such as feeding, bathing, toileting, and communication
• Disoriented (e.g., traumatic brain injury, dementia, Alzheimer’s, altered mental state)
• Disabled (e.g., developmentally, hearing, autistic)
• In need of an interpreter
• Patients receiving end-of-life care
• Patients who are receiving neonatal, pediatric, adolescent care: minor patients may have two parents or guardians visit. 

 

• Maternity patients: Patients receiving maternity care are limited to one support person, who may stay at the hospital for the duration of the stay. If the mother is a minor, she may have a parent or guardian visitor and the other parent of the baby. 
• Ultrasound office visit - one person will be allowed.

There will be no time limits on approved visitors. 
There will be no visitation restriction on members of the clergy and those with power of attorney.

Power of attorney applies only to a person who is making decisions for a patient who is unable to do so, based upon the physician’s evaluation of the patient’s cognitive abilities.

 

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December 3	December 3
Youngstown MYCAP Youngstown 1325 Fifth Ave Youngstown, OH 44504 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.	Greenville Spirit Medical Transport 5484 State Rt 49 Greenville, OH 45331 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

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December 3
Columbus PrimaryOne Health 2300 W. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43204 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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December 4	December 4
Cleveland Cathedral Church of God in Christ 2940 Martin Luther King Jr Dr. Cleveland, OH 44104 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.	Akron Summit County Public Health Building 1867 W Market St Akron, OH 44313 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.

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December 4

London Molly Caren Agricultural Center 135 OH-38 (Enter from US-40) London, OH 43140 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. * Pre-registration is encouraged beginning 11/30 and can be done by phone at 740-845-1756 and select option 5.  On-site registration will be available the day of the event.

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December 5	December 5
Cleveland - POSTPONED Kerruish Park 17218 Tarkington, Ave. Cleveland, OH 44128	Cleveland The Word Church 5900 Kinsman Road Cleveland, OH 44104 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. *Pre-registration is encouraged starting at 11/30

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December 6	December 6
Akron Summit County Public Health Building 1867 W Market St Akron, OH 44313 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.	Ottawa Putnam County Fairground 1490 South Agner St. Ottawa, OH 45875 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

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Click HERE for a printable PDF of all current popup testing locations.