Watching the daily brief with Governor DeWine and his team. Food trucks are getting special permits to sell hot meals to truckers at rest areas so that they can have hot meals while shipping our food, medicine, etc.
They’re also going to start rolling out rapid antibody testing.
Small-scale sterilizing machines also being rolled out for smaller clinics, etc. so that masks and other PPE can be re-used.
Some Ohio kids being taught how to make masks out of old t-shirts as part of their curriculum.
John Husted asking people who use mass transit to only ride when necessary and to also wear a mask while doing so.
614 employers with 38,000 essential jobs available. Once we get the antibody testing it will be easier/less-anxiety producing to participate.
Acton: all our numbers are a gross underestimation of what’s actually out there due to lack of testing.
Acton: asking people to look at essential vs. non-essential surgeries. Does NOT want people having to live in extreme pain, so please re-evaluate.
Acton pauses to show this video: washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04…
Acton explaining spread numbers (R0). We have lowered the number to an estimate of 1.1 via social distancing (in Ohio).
Acton: talking about bravery and vulnerability, encourages us to reach out to each other. Understands how difficult this is.
Q asked about what happens in case of second wave(s). Acton: Vaccines are a long way off. This is why we need to scale up testing in this country. We will be able to catch a case right away, trace, track and quarantine just those people.
Q about 1099 employees. Husted: no Lt. Governors from anywhere have received guidance on this. Meanwhile, Ohio trying to build a distribution system so that once federal guidance is given, it can be rolled out immediately. Benefits will be retroactive.
Q about testing: how do we know someone on frontlines is no longer contagious without testing? Acton: we’ll have to use clinical guidance. This will be for health care AND essential business workers.
Q asked about prisons. They are doing temp checks on workers before allowing them to work, surging testing + PPE; DeWine states we have a responsibility for the prisoners in our care. Also working on early release.
Husted with update on 1099 situation: some states have pre-existing distribution infrastructure in place due to recent disasters. Ohio does not and is thus building it.
Q asked about how they are all holding up personally. DeWine has a new puppy. Says they’re fine and are sure it’s much harder for others. Husted says he thinks about those who are struggling instead himself. That’s what public service is supposed to be about.
Acton: chokes back tears and thanks her husband and her team.
When they don’t know something, they just say so. (My one note)
Q: when will we have tests? A: as soon as possible. Tests need to be reliable vs. quickly produced. We are weeks away. We hope to have more next month.
Q asked about doubts over actual threat of virus. DeWine: I understand what they’re saying, but no one should doubt how deadly this is. Despite the fact that it looks like another spring day, fellow Ohioans are dying. This is not a game. Ohioans changed the outcome.
If we’d done nothing, we’d be in the midst of what we saw in Italy. The reason we’re not is because of what we did. No one should think this is over. Anyone who hasn’t had this disease can still get it. We can’t flip a switch and get back to normal, though he wishes he could.
Says to please be careful. It’s still out there.
Q from AP about modeling. Acton: if we had done nothing, we would have seen a huge spike, and more deaths, plus deaths from people not having access to care. We’re trying to have a controlled burn vs. a wild burn. This will be more a plateau than a peak now.
Each day we buy from social distancing means possibly getting more PPE, more medicine, more testing. If we stop what we’re doing and remove measures too
quickly, there will be a spike.
quickly, there will be a spike.
Q about # of cases per day expected at peak. Acton: models are constantly adjusted according to how well we are practicing social distancing. Follow-up: what is DeWine’s new puppy’s name? A: He’s thinking of calling her Dolly.
If you want to watch: ohiochannel.org
