You’ll see from this week’s Public Health Advisory System map, Ohio is trending in the wrong direction.
There are 18 red counties—the highest number since the week of July 23. There are 58 orange counties this week - the highest ever.
The virus is spreading in more areas of the state and impacting a wider swath of Ohioans. Local health departments tell us this is due to lax social distancing, not enough people wearing masks, and people not following quarantine and isolation guidance.
In half of our new red counties, there are outbreaks related to funerals or weddings. In one example, there was a wedding where two grandfathers died due to COVID. Examples like these are absolutely heartbreaking.
As of this week, 96% of us are living in a Red or Orange county. That’s 26% in our 18 Red counties and 70% in our Orange counties. Only 4% of Ohioans are in the 12 yellow counties.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
What are the enduring lessons we've learned from the President's illness? #COVID19 can happen to anyone. No one is immune. While frequent testing is important, it isn't a substitute for masks and social distancing. Masks matter. Distance matters. Contact tracing matters.
In the days ahead, let's focus on the things that we can all do to fight back against the virus - the things we can do to enable us to have more freedom, to enable us to live a more normal life.
Each of us can demonstrate our love and respect for our fellow Ohioans by wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings, keeping at least 6 feet distance from others, and frequently washing our hands. This is in our control.
Ohio Medicaid: We have developed a new vision for Ohio’s Medicaid program that focuses on people and not just the business of managed care. This is the first major overhaul of Medicaid in 15 years.
Tomorrow, a new application will open for businesses interested in providing managed care plans for children and adults within the Medicaid program. The selected plans will be an essential piece in improving the health and lives of millions of Ohioans.
Not only will selected plans work with my administration to build better systems of care, but they also play a special role in helping their members develop good health habits.
This thread has two examples of recent #COVID19 spread in Ohio – one involving a coworker gathering and the other involving a wedding.
A group of 21 coworkers got together two weeks ago. Someone in that group had #COVID19 and didn’t know it. Now, 12 people have tested positive: nine additional coworkers and three of their family members.
After an August 28th wedding, 11 people tested positive for #COVID19. The bride and the groom both got sick and so did parents and grandparents. A couple of weeks after the wedding, one of the grandfathers of the couple passed away.
Newly Red Since Last Week:
⬆Ashland
⬆Delaware
⬆Pike
⬆Scioto
⬆Stark
Remaining at Red:
↔Butler
↔Mercer
↔Montgomery
↔Putnam
Red to Orange:
⬇Portage
The distribution of cases has shifted from large urban areas to medium/small counties, and interestingly, our counties that border IN, KY and WV are almost exclusively red and orange.
The population of Ohioans living in yellow counties has decreased during the past four weeks indicating that we have significant spread of the virus across the state.
Today, I am announcing that Dr. Joan Duwve has agreed to serve as the Director of the @OHdeptofhealth. A native Ohioan, she is a medical doctor, with extensive experience in public health.
She has been working for South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, as the Director of Public Health at their Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Prior to that, she served Indiana Governors Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence, and Eric Holcomb as the Chief Medical Officer with the Indiana Department of Health and as the Medical Director for the Department’s Division of Public Health and Preparedness.