Ohio Lacks Critical Protective Equipment For Doctors, Nurses

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio medical officials fear there will be a shortage of critical personal protective equipment — like sterilized masks and gowns for nurses and doctors, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Saturday. He urged manufacturers who could produce the equipment to contact state officials.

These are the 10 most-needed protective items: surgical gowns, face/surgical masks, gloves, N-95 particulate respirators, isolation gowns, face shields, Tyvek coveralls, thermometers, foot coverings and ventilator tubing.

DeWine's statements come one day after he said Ohio is preparing for a surge in new coronavirus, COVID-19, cases statewide. Six Ohioans died due to complications from the new coronavirus, COVID-19, between Friday and Saturday afternoon, the state health department announced. There have now been 25 deaths in Ohio due to COVID-19.

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The state now has 1,406 confirmed cases of the virus. More than 340 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 123 Ohioans are in intensive care because of the virus. Cuyahoga County leads the state in confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 370 residents infected since the outbreak began. Three Cuyahoga County residents have died due to COVID-19.

The following Ohio counties have recorded deaths due to complications from COVID-19: Columbiana (1), Cuyahoga (3), Erie (1), Franklin (2), Gallia (1), Lake (1), Lucas (2), Mahoning (2), Miami (4), Stark (2), Summit (4) and Trumbull (2).

Tech Break-Through

Technology developed by an Ohio company could help frontline medical workers to sterilize surgical masks for reuse. DeWine publicly pleaded with the FDA to approve the technology and allow it go into use.

The governor said Battelle developed the breakthrough, which would allow surgical masks to be reused.
"We have nurses, doctors, and others who need these masks. We would be able to sterilize 160,000 per day. This is a matter of life and death. We need to protect or people who are risking their lives," DeWine said.

Preparing for More Cases

In the coming weeks, COVID-19 could spread rapidly through Ohio and could stress the state's hospital systems. The virus may peak in mid-May, DeWine said Friday, and Ohio needs to triple its hospital capacity before more Ohioans are infected.

State officials have divided Ohio into eight regions for planning purposes. Each region was asked to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases. They were told to submit their plans to DeWine by 9 a.m. Saturday. The Ohio National Guard has been asked to oversee the development and implementation of these plans.

DeWine said officials are reviewing the plans and will return them to counties on Sunday. Each returned plan will include suggestions and critiques. Final plans for each region of the country must be submitted to the state by noon on Monday.

Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat representing Ohio, spoke during the state's daily press conference with Gov. Mike DeWine on Saturday. He said the recently passed federal coronavirus stimulus bill will provide financial aid to Ohio officials and hospital workers.

Unemployment Update

DeWine signed legislation opting into the federal government's unemployment benefits for contractors and self-employed workers. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the state is building out a website specifically for Ohioans who fall into those categories who have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Husted said the website is not ready yet, but is being worked on now.

Learning at Home

Husted announced that public broadcasting would begin airing educational programs for students in grades K-12 on Monday. The programming will supplement remote learning being conducted across the state by schools.

The programming will also aid students in areas with poor internet connection, Husted said.

More information on the programming can be found on the state's coronavirus website.