Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine made his rounds in Ohio on Friday – among other spots, stopping near Toledo and Youngstown to talk about “COVID spread.”
The Ohio Star covered one of the briefings, during which DeWine said if Ohioans don’t mask, distance, and follow mandates then schools and colleges will inevitably go remote and businesses will likely shutter because people will be afraid.
I don't want to be an alarmist, but if you want your kids physically in school, we've got to slow this down. If there is spread in the community, more schools will end up going remote. Please wear a mask. Please encourage your friends to wear masks. #MasksOnOhio
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) October 9, 2020
“The biggest threat to our economy is not wearing masks,” said DeWine at outside Toledo Express Airport. Then he cited funerals and family barbecues as events that could spread COVID-19.
On Friday, Ohio reported 1,840 new coronavirus cases.
For now, the state dashboard shows COVID cases in Ohio peaked on July 13 –10 days before the mask mandate.
Hospitalizations peaked on July 12.
Deaths peaked on April 28.
According to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, Ohio has experienced 156,480 confirmed cases and 141,162 people have recovered as of Friday.
The Buckeye State is testing more than ever, administering 43,506 as last reported on October 7. For perspective – the highest case count on July 13 was the result of 5.6% of 20,466 cases being positive.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a national average positive test rate of 4.9% – Ohio is currently at 3.4%.
The survival rates per the CDC are as follows:
- 0-19: 99.997%
- 20-49: 99.98%
- 50-69: 99.5%
- 70+: 94.6%
The CDC indicates that masks may “help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the mask coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice.”
However, according to Swiss Policy Research there is evidence to support the inefficacy of masks.
And although there is no scientific evidence from studies yet, there are anecdotes – stories and personal experiences from medical workers – claiming that renal failure is on the rise as a consequence of masking. Health professionals have asked to remain nameless for protection.
Ohio’s COVID dashboard can be found here to research cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS) can be found here.
The OPHAS was designed as a tool to give local officials control to make decisions about schools, businesses, life and restrictions in their own communities.
DeWine and the OPHAS co-creator Dr. Andrew Thomas likened the color-coded map to an early weather warning system – it is a “what if?”
The Star has reported on OPHAS and you can find the reports here:
- Intro
- Indicator 1
- Indicator 2
- Indicator 3
- Indicator 5
- Report on Richland Co. that covers all indicators
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Jack Windsor is Managing Editor and an Investigative Reporter at The Ohio Star. Windsor is also an Investigative Reporter at WMFD-TV. Follow Jack on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mike DeWine” by Mike DeWine.
