Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for Thursday, June 25

Below are the updates from Governor DeWine’s press conference yesterday. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Tuesday, June 30^th.

Here’s the news from Thursday:

Governor DeWine invited President and CEO of UC Health Richard P. Lofgren, MD, MPH, FACP to give an update on the status of COVID-19 in Hamilton County and the surrounding areas. The effective reproductive ratio, also known as R naught, measures how many people will be infected by a sick individual. The R naught had reached 2.4 in that region in April. In recent weeks, the R naught had declined to below one. However, in the last 10 days, the R naught has doubled over the last 10 days in the Cincinnati region.

Dr. Lofgren explained that the increase in cases is not only due to the tests being performed, but the increase shows there is a greater presence of the COVID-19 in the area, and it is spreading in the community. He said it serves as a reminder about the importance of wearing a mask in public, washing your hands, sanitizing frequently touched surfaces, and keeping social distance.

Governor DeWine announced today that the Ohio Department of Health will continue funding for the valuable 2-1-1 service as Ohio enters into the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2-1-1 is a phone service that connects thousands of Ohioans to local non-profit and government services for healthcare, food and meals, housing, transportation, mental health, and legal services. At the beginning of the year, the service was available in 51 of Ohio’s 88 counties. When the pandemic began, Ohio EMA asked Ohio AIRS, the non-profit that governs Ohio 2-1-1, to provide service to the remaining 37 counties in Ohio, which happened in March. Ohioans can also dial 877-721-8476 to get connected to 2-1-1.

Attached are details for the pop-up testing sites operating June 29^th through July 2^nd.

For the week ending June 20, 2020, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported 34,553 initial jobless claims to the U.S. Department of Labor. Over the last 14 weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $4.4 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 716,000 claimants. Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, about 94% have been processed, with less than 6% pending. Pursuant to an order from the U.S. Department of Labor, Ohio will release unemployment numbers on a weekly basis when the national report is released on Thursday.

Ohioans can apply for unemployment benefits online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at unemployment.ohio.gov. It is also possible to file by phone at 877-644-6562 or TTY at 888- 642-8203, Monday through Friday 7AM to 7PM, Saturday 9AM to 5PM, and Sunday 9AM to 1PM. Employers with questions should email UCTech@jfs.ohio.gov.

As always, Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov and the Department of Health hotline, 1-833-4-ASK-ODH are great resources for those who have questions.