Ohio Coronavirus: More Than 300 New Cases, 18 New Deaths

On a day when state health officials announced more than 300 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 18 more deaths among Ohio residents, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday that data about how the global pandemic is impacting Ohio will become more detailed to provide a more comprehensive report to the state's citizens.

On Friday, the Ohio Department of Health announced that in addition to the 5,836 confirmed cases that became public since Friday, 42 more probable cases under an expanded case definition system by the Center For Disease Control takes the state’s active caseload to 5,878 - up from the 5,512 cases that were announced on Thursday.

In addition, state officials announced 227 confirmed deaths, along with four probable deaths that are now being reported, taking the state's death toll to 231– an increase from the 213 deaths that were reported on Thursday by the state.

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On April 5, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) issued new case surveillance recommendations to the CDC related to how confirmed coronavirus cases are being reported. Until now, DeWine said, physicians were required to report only those cases that were confirmed by a laboratory test.

The new guidance expands reporting cases that include criteria including quick tests that determine the presence of coronavirus antibodies in the blood. The rapid tests, which DeWine said Friday will soon be used in Ohio, will be conducted by doctors pricking and patient’s finger to test the blood and have results within minutes. Under old reporting methods, those tests would not be reported as being positive.

The new reporting method will also include positive tests for patients who demonstrate clinical evidence of the presence of coronavirus and when there is no other likely diagnosis, even without the presence of laboratory tests. Moving forward, DeWine said that someone will be considered a confirmed positive case based on symptoms such as fever, cough and pneumonia along with a history of being exposed to someone who has tested positive.

As reporting is conducted as it relates to coronavirus deaths, DeWine said the state will include confirmed deaths as well as deaths that the CDC believes to be caused by coronavirus.

“This is evolving, the science is evolving, the way of counting is evolving as well,” DeWine said at Friday's news conference.

He added: “What this new guidance allows all of us to do is to better track who has the virus currently and those who have had the virus...we think for Ohio citizens, this is the best way to report this.”

Rest Area Allowing Food Trucks

DeWine announced on Fridays that the Federal Highway Administration announced it would allow food trucks to be stationed at Ohio's 86 rest areas to feed truck drivers and other essential workers. The Ohio Department of Transportation has created a new permit to allow food vendors to serve hot food to those who need it. The permit, which is free for vendors, can be found at the Ohio Department of Transportation's website. The food trucks will be in addition to the vending machine service that is provided.

Distilleries Provide Hand Sanitizer To Food Banks

DeWine said Friday that Ohio distilleries are now producing large qualities of hand sanitizer and Jobs Ohio has purchased 3,100 cases of the sanitizer - which equates to more than 1 million ounces - and will be donating it to the Ohio Association of Food Banks. The shipments of sanitizer arrived at distribution centers this week and will be delivered to the state's 12 food banks beginning next week, the governor said.

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