Hamilton County nursing home has 37 confirmed cases of coronavirus

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>> ONE AGAIN IT’S TIME FOR OUR DAILY CORONAVIRUS PRESSER. LET’S HEAD TO GOVERNOR MIKE DEWINE RIGHT NOW. GOV. DEWINE: I WANT TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LANA, ONE OF OUR SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS. I WON’T BE ABLE TO SEE YOU, YOU CAN APPEAR ON THE SIDE OF THE SCREEN AND WAVE TO EVERYBODY, BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU ALL DO EVERY SINGLE DAY, SO THANK YOU. I’M TODAY WEARING SHAWNE STATE BEARS, WEARING IT IN THIS HONOR OF OUR YOUNGEST DAUGHTER ANNA’S GOOD FRIEND BECKY. BECKY, WE GIVE YOU A SHOUT-OUT. I KNOW YOU WENT TO SHAWNE STATE AND GRADUATED FROM THERE AND HOPE YOU’RE DOING WELL. YOU KNOW, WE’RE VERY, VERY PROUD IN OHIO OF THE INNOVATION AND THE SMART PROBLEM SOLVING ATTITUDE THAT WE HAVE IN THIS STATE. IT’S A GREAT, GREAT TRADITION. AND WE SEE IT DAILY. WE HAVE TALKED TO YOU, FOR EXAMPLE, ABOUT THE AMAZING PROCESS TO SANITIZE THE N-95 MASK TO HELP WITH THE SEVERE P.P.E. SHORTAGE THAT WE HAVE. WHAT MANY PEOPLE DON’T KNOW IS THAT THIS STARTED WITH A SIMPLE CONVERSATION AND THE STORY I THINK IS KIND OF TYPICAL OHIO. A SMART DOCTOR AT OHIO HEALTH RAISED CONCERNED ABOUT P.P.E., SHORTAGES IN MARCH. HE WAS TALKING TO THE — THE DOCTOR WAS TALKING TO A SMART SCIENTIST AT BATEL. THAT ONE CONVERSATION LED TO IMMEDIATE ACTION FROM BOTH ORGANIZATIONS AND A NEW SOLUTION THAT IS NOT ONLY HELPING OHIOANS, BUT ALSO IS BEING FELT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN MANY, MANY LOCATIONS. AND SO WE HAVE A VIDEO THAT TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS STORY.>> I’M A PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST.>> I’M A DOCTOR, I’M A FAMILY PHYSICIAN WITH OHIO HEALTH AND IN A FORMER LIFE, I WAS A MICROBIOLOGIST AT BATEL.>> WE MET ALMOST 18 YEARS AGO.>> 18 YEARS AGO.>> WE WERE LOOKING FOR REASONS TO INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.>> HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE THAT LAST NAME? THEN, HERE WE ARE, FOUR YEARS LATER, IT BECAME MY LAST NAME. AN AFTER DINNER CONVERSATION WHERE I WAS SHARING WITH KEVIN SOME OF THE THINGS I WAS STRUGGLING WITH AND THINKING ABOUT AND THE WORLD IS THINKING ABOUT IN THIS COVID CRISIS AND THAT REALLY BEING P.P.E., SPECIFICALLY N-95S AND HAVING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF RESPIRATORS, I HAD HEARD AT A MEETING AT OHIO HEALTH HOW MANY DAYS WE HAD OF RESPIRATORS AND GOT REALLY NERVOUS.>> I JUST MADE THE CASUAL COMMENT, WHY DON’T YOU JUST CLEAN THEM UP AND REUSE THEM.>> YOU CAN’T DO THAT.>> YEAH, YOU CAN. WE HAVE AN ENTIRE TEAM OF RESEARCHERS AT BATEL WHO BASICALLY DO THIS FOR A LIVING IS DECONTAMINATE VARIOUS SURFACES, MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, TO FREE THEM OF DANGEROUS PATHOGENS.>> I DIDN’T BELIEVE HIM. HOW DO WE NOT KNOW THIS, RIGHT? SO HE REACHED OUT TO HIS COLLEAGUE WILL RICHTER WHO DID THE STUDY. I REACHED OUT TO DOUG KNUTSSON WHO I REPORT TO, OUR V.P. OF QUALITY AND PATIENT SAFETY. DOUG, CAN I LOOK INTO THIS? THIS COULD BE A GAME CHANGER. HE SAID ABSOLUTELY, GO. WE HAD A TEAM PULLED TOGETHER THAT QUICKLY IN JUST REALLY TWO DAYS. IT WAS PRETTY INCREDIBLE. THE REACTION WAS REALLY, BROUGHT A LOT OF HOPE, I THINK TO THE FRONT LINE CARE GIVERS.>> YEAH, THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES THAT BATELLE JUST DROPPED DOING OTHER THINGS DEVOTING TO THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH OHIO HEALTH, IT WAS PRETTY INCREDIBLE WHEN THE RIGHT DECISIONS ARE MADE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, IT’S PRETTY INCREDIBLE WHAT YOU CAN DO.>> IT’S BEEN SO COOL TO WATCH THE TEAM AT OHIO HEALTH, YOU KNOW, I’M RUNNING POINT FOR THE PROGRAM AND I HAVE ON MY TEAM WITH OPERATIONS NICKY ROSS AND JOSH BOWLES AND OH, MY GOODNESS, ARE THEY INCREDIBLE, THE IMPACT THAT IT’S HAVING ON THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY ACROSS THE NATION. IT’S JUST AS HUMBLING, GREG KIMMEL AT BATELLE SENT ME PICTURES WITH SEMITRUCKS WITH THE CONTAMINATION UNITS. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME IT ALLOWED ME TO PAUSE AND SEE HOW BIG THE IMPACT IS.>> I JUST SAW AN INTERNAL POSTING OF THE FIRST SYSTEM IN NEW YORK RECEIVING THEIR FIRST BATCH OF CONTAMINATED P.P.E.>> I FEEL SO LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THIS AND TO HAVE MARRIED THE RIGHT GUY AT THE RIGHT TIME TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. GOV. DEWINE: WOW. THAT’S A GREAT STORY. THE SPEED OF THIS PROJECT IS REALLY AMAZING. INITIAL IDEA, SIMPLE CONVERSATION OCCURRED ON MARCH 13. TWO DAYS LATER, THE TEAMS OHIO HAD TO START ON THE SOLUTION, TWO WEEKS LATER, THEY HAD THAT SOLUTION, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. SO WE THANK ALL OF THEM FOR GETTING THIS DONE. LET ME TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS, SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE’RE STARTING TO DO. THE NEED FOR P.P.E. NOT ONLY IMPACTS OUR FRONT LINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS, BUT IT ALSO CERTAINLY FIRST RESPONDERS, THEY’RE ALSO FACING THE SAME CHALLENGES AND THEY NEED TO BE PROTECTED AS WELL. SO TODAY I’M HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE AN EXPANSION OF OHIO’S PARTNERSHIP WITH BATELLE TO EXTEND THEIR SANITATION SERVICES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND E.M.S. PROVIDERS ACROSS THE STATE OF OHIO. OHIO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND BATTELLE HAVE NOW PARTNERED TO SANITIZE N-97 MASKS FOR ALL OF OHIO’S FIRST RESPONDERS. BATTELLE IS PROVIDING THE SERVICE FOR FREE. OUR OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL HAS DEVELOPED A STATEWIDE COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM TO MAKE THIS PROCESS AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE FOR LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS. THIS IS HOW IT’S GOING TO WORK. BEGINNING THIS FRIDAY AT 8: 00 A.M., LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND E.M.S. AGENCIES CAN BRING THEIR PACKAGED N-95 MASKS TO ANY OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL POST IN THE STATE. THE PATROL THEN BRINGS THOSE MASKS TO BATTELLE IN COLUMBUS. THEY WILL SANITIZE THEM. PATROL WILL BRING THE MASKS BACK TO EACH POST, THE AGENCIES CAN COME BACK AND PICK THEM UP. THIS WILL CONTRIBUTE GREATLY TO OUR EFFORTS TO PROTECT OHIO’S PROTECTORS. PATROL WILL BE SENDING OUT GUIDELINES TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT LATER TODAY ON HOW THE MASKS MUST BE PACKAGED. THIS PROCESS WAS DEVELOPED BY OUR PUBLIC SAFETY STRIKE FORCE AND IS REALLY A GREAT EXAMPLE OF OUR FIRST RESPONDER MEMBERS IDENTIFYING A PROBLEM, WORKING WITH THEIR STATE PARTNERS ON A SOLUTION. WE’RE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR BATTELLE AND SALUTE THEM FOR THE WORK THEY HAVE DONE. I WANT TO THANK THE OHIO STATE PUBLIC SAFETY FOR CORROBORATING THIS. HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE, TWO TO THREE DAYS’ TURNAROUND. WE’RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND AGAIN, IT’S AN EFFORT TO EXPAND THE USE OF OUR N-95 MASKS THAT ARE CONTINUE UNFORTUNATELY TO BE IN SHORT SUPPLY. IT’S A REAL MULTIPLIER EFFECT. I WANT TO SHARE ANOTHER GOOD STORY IN REGARD TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE’RE DOING IN OHIO THAT OHIOANS ARE DOING AND THIS ONE HAS TO DO SPECIFICALLY WITH THE TESTING AND OUR CHALLENGES THERE. HEALTH SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE HAVE STRUGGLED BECAUSE OF THE CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF TEST KID COMPONENTS. THIS INCLUDES THE SWABS THAT ARE USED TO COLLECT SAMPLES AND THE SOLUTION NEEDED TO TRANSPORT THE SWABS. AS WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, SOMETIMES WE MAY HAVE THE CAPACITY AT OHIO STATE OR THE CAPACITY AT CLEVELAND CLINIC OR ONE OF THE OTHER HOSPITALS, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO TAKE THE SAMPLE CAN’T DO IT IF THEY DON’T HAVE THE SWAB, THEY’RE MISSING SOMETHING ELSE. SO RECOGNIZING THE SHORTAGE, A RAPIDLY ASSEMBLED TEAM OF OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS WORKED LITERALLY OVERNIGHT AND WITHIN 24 HOURS CREATED AN IN-HOUSE RECIPE TO MAKE THE CRITICALLY QUID TRANSPORT MEDIUM. AGAIN, THE CHALLENGE HAS BEEN, GOT TO GET THE SWABS, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE THE TUBE AND THE LIQUID IN THE TUBE. IN ADDITION, THE OHIO STATE MEDICAL CENTER AND OHIO STATE’S COLLEGE OF MEDICAL ENGINEERING AND DESIGN OF EXCELLENCE AND OTHERS COLLABORATED WITH THE NATIONAL CONSORTIUM THAT RAPIDLY DEPLOYED A DESIGN AND TESTING PROGRAM FOR 3-D PRINTING TESTING SWABS. OHIO STATE STARTED WORKING WITH 3-D MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN TOLEDO AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE STATE OF OHIO TO MANUFACTURE THESE SWABS AND SWAB KITS IN SIGNIFICANT QUANTITIES. VERY SOON THE FIRST ORDER OF 15,0003-D PRINTED SWABS WILL BE DELIVERED TO OHIO STATE WITH A TARGET OF 200,000 SWABS AND SWAB KITS TO BE SHARED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HOSPITAL SYSTEMS ACROSS OHIO ALLOWING MORE PEOPLE TO BE TESTED AND THIS ALL BY THE END OF APRIL. SO, AGAIN, OHIO INGENUITY, OHIOANS COMING TOGETHER TO SOLVE A PROBLE TODAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TAX DAY. AS EVERYONE KNOWS, THAT HAS BEEN DELAYED BOTH AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND THEN AT THE STATE LEVEL. I APPRECIATE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FORMALLY EXTENDING OHIO’S TAX DEADLINE. WHILE OHIOANS HAVE MORE TIME TO COMPLETE THE TAX FORM, IT IS TIME TO COMPLETE 2020 CENSUS FORM. SO WE WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO DO THAT. THE CONSTITUTION MANDATES A CENSUS BE HELD EVERY 10 YEARS AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THIS DETERMINES, OF COURSE, IS FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT COME BACK TO OHIO. OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THAT IS DETERMINED BY THE CENSUS AND MANY, MANY OTHER THINGS. OUR RESPONSE RATE IS PRETTY GOOD, BUT I WANTED TO DO A LITTLE CHALLENGE HERE. IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO CHALLENGE OUR FRIENDS UP NORTH IN MICHIGAN. WE ARE LAGGING A LITTLE BIT. OHIO’S RESPONSE RATE I AM TOLD IS NOW 52.2%. MICHIGAN IS 55%. SO I CHALLENGE MY FELLOW BUCKEYES, MYSELF INCLUDED, TO GET THIS DONE AND GET THIS IN AND LET’S SEE IF WE CAN OVERCOME THE LEAD THAT MICHIGAN HAS. YOU CAN FOR INFORMATION ON THIS VISIT, 2020CENSUS.GOV OR CALL 844-330-2020, THAT’S 844-330-2020. I WANT TO TALK FOR A MOMENT ABOUT OUR PRISON SITUATION. AS WE’VE INDICATED AT THIS STAGE OF THIS VIRUS, WE CONTINUE TO WORRY ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, BUT WE CERTAINLY WORRY ABOUT ANY PLACE WHERE THERE IS CONGREGATE LIVING, WE WORRY ABOUT NURSING HOMES AND WE WORRY ABOUT OUR PRISONS. I WANT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE UPDATE IN REGARD TO OUR PRISONS. I TOLD YOU ON MONDAY THAT ONE INMATE WITH COVID-19 DIED AT THE PICKAWAY INSTITUTION. SADLY, WE HAVE TWO MORE INMATES THAT HAVE DIED AT THAT FACILITY. THEY’RE LISTED AS PROBABLY CAUSED BY COVID-19. WE’RE WAITING ON CONFIRMATION TESTS IN REGARD TO THAT. OUR TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO CREATE MORE ROOM FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING WITHIN OUR STATE PRISON. THE DIRECTOR AND I HAD A CALL ABOUT THIS THIS MORNING. WE INVOLVED OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WHO ARE GIVING US VERY SIGNIFICANT HELP AND I WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK THEM FOR THE HELP THAT THEY ARE SUPPLYING. LAST WEEK UNDER AN OVERCROWDING STATUTE, THAT HAS BEEN ON THE BOOKS FOR SOME TIME IN OHIO, WE ALERTED THE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION INSPECTION COMMITTEE ABOUT THE OVERCROWDING AND ADVISED THEM OF OUR INTENT TO RELEASE CERTAIN INMATES WHO WERE READY FOR RELEASE IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS. WE SET FORTH CRITERIA THAT I DETERMINED FOR THOSE WHO WE WOULD CONSIDER FOR EARLY RELEASE. WE STARTED WITH EVERYONE WHO IS GOING TO BE RELEASED ANY WAY IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS AND WE ELIMINATED SEX OFFENDERS, HOMICIDE-RELATED OFFENSES, KIDNAPPING, ABDUCTION, INTIMIDATION, TERRORIST THREATS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. WE ALSO SCREAMED OUT THOSE WHO WERE DENIED JUDICIAL RELEASE IN THE PAST, ANY WHO HAVE PRIOR INCARCERATIONS IN OHIO, ANYONE WHO IS INTERSTATE OFFENDER OR HAS WARRANTS OR DETAINERS ON THEM AND THOSE WHO HAVE SERIOUS PRISON RULE VIOLATIONS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. YESTERDAY THE CORRECTION INSPECTION COMMITTEE AGREED WITH OUR LIMITED OVERCROWDING DETERMINATION AND RECOMMENDED THE EARLY RELEASE OF INMATES WHO FIT THAT SPECIFIC CRITERIA. EARLIER TODAY, A PROVED THE EARLY RELEASE OF 105 INMATES UNDER THAT SECTION OF THE OHIO REVISED CODE, AGAIN, THEY ARE PEOPLE WHO QUALIFIED FOR EARLY RELEASE BECAUSE THEY HAD ONLY 90 DAYS OR LESS UNTIL THEY WERE RELEASED ANYWAY AND THEY WERE INDIVIDUALS WHO DID NOT FALL WITHIN THE LIST OF CRITERIA I JUST LISTED WHERE WE DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE IN RELEASING THEM EARLY. THE DIRECTOR HAS ADVISED ME THAT EACH OF THE INMATES BEING RELEASED WILL, IN FACT, BE TESTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE COVID-19 AND APPROPRIATE ACTION WILL BE TAKEN IN REGARD TO THOSE RESULTS. LET ME ADD ONE OTHER THING. I HAVE AUTHORIZED OUR PRISON SYSTEM AND THE DIRECTOR TO CONTINUE TO USE THIS CRITERIA EVERY DAY, OF COURSE, MORE PEOPLE ENTER A LIST OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WITHIN 90 DAYS OF BEING RELEASED. AND I INSTRUCTED THE DIRECTOR TO SCREEN OUT THOSE WHO DO NOT QUALIFY BECAUSE OF THE SEVERITY OF THEIR CHARGE, CONVICTION AND SO THIS PROCESS WILL CONTINUE. SO WE WOULD EXPECT TO CONTINUE TO RELEASE PRISONERS, THIS SPECIFIC GROUP OF PRISONERS, THOSE THAT HAVE 90 DAYS OR LESS. WHEN SOMEONE ENTERS THAT 90-DAY PERIOD OF TIME, WE WILL LOOK AT THAT INDIVIDUAL TO SEE WHETHER THEY QUALIFY AND WE INTEND TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE RELEASES. LET ME ALSO ADD SOME ADDITIONAL NEWS. THE PRISON SYSTEM POPULATION FLUCTUATES EVERY DAY. PEOPLE ARE RELEASED EVERY DAY, PEOPLE COME IN. THE PRISON SETS TUESDAY JUST AS A DATE TO REPORT. SO EVERY TUESDAY THEY REPORT THE NUMBER OF PRISONER INMATES BECAUSE THE DAY-TO-DAY AVERAGE FLUCTUATES ALL OVER THE PLACE. BUT THEY REPORT ONE DAY AND THAT DAY IS TUESDAY. WE HAVE SEEN, OUR POPULATION IN PRISON DROP BY 311 INMATES. WE WANT TO THANK THE LOCAL JUDGES FOR ACTIONS THAT THEY ARE TAKING. THIS IS A RESULT IN A DRASTIC REDUCTION OF A NUMBER OF INMATES BEING SENT TO OUR STATE PRISONS AND DOES ALLOW US MORE ROOM FOR THE SOCIAL DISTANCING. WE WOULD EXPECT THOSE NUMBERS TO CONTINUE WITHIN THE LAST THREE WEEKS, I THINK THE DIRECTOR HAS TOLD ME THAT THAT TOTAL NUMBER OF POPULATION HAS GONE DOWN BY ABOUT 500. AND THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT I JUST ANNOUNCED WERE BEING RELEASED. LET ME TALK ABOUT ONE FINAL THING. EARLY THIS MORNING I HAD A LENGTHY CONFERENCE CALL WITH A NUMBER OF C.E.O.S AND REPRESENTATIVES OF MAJOR HOSPITALS AROUND THE STATE. I WANT TO GO BACK FOR A MOMENT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DR. ACTON ORDERED SOMETIME AGO WAS THAT NO ELECTIVE SURGERIES SHOULD TAKE PLACE. THE REASON THAT WAS ORDERED WAS TWOFOLD. ONE, A CONCERN ABOUT HOSPITALS THEMSELVES BEING CROWDED AND NOT BEING READY FOR THE COVID-19 PATIENTS. PROBABLY THE MORE IMPORTANT REASON WAS BECAUSE OF OUR LACK OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. AND LET ME JUST STATE WHAT OUR CONCERN WAS THEN AND WHAT OUR CHALLENGE REMAINS TODAY. AND THAT IS THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR THE HOSPITALS, FOR HIM WORKING IN THE HOSPITALS, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FIRST RESPONDERS HAVE THAT. WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WORKING IN NURSING HOMES HAVE THAT CERTAINLY WHEN THAT’S APPROPRIATE. SO THAT’S OUR BIG GOAL. WE ARE RUNNING INTO THE SAME CHALLENGES THAT EVERY OTHER STATE IS RUNNING INTO. WE PUT TOGETHER A VERY AGGRESSIVE TEAM THAT IS DOING A GOOD JOB, BUT THAT IS NOT EASY. SO NO ELECTIVE SURGERIES BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO CONSERVE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT WHICH GETS CONSUMED BASICALLY AS YOU DO THESE OPERATIONS. WE HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST WEEK, WE HAVE FLATTENED THE CURVE, WE HAVE TO SEE WHERE IT GOES IN THE NEXT WEEK, BUT WE HAVE DONE THAT AND SO WE FEEL MUCH BETTER ABOUT THE CAPACITY IN THE HOSPITALS THEMSELVES, BUT, AGAIN, THE PROBLEM STILL REMAINS AND STILL A CHALLENGE IN REGARD TO PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND HAVING ENOUGH OF THAT. SO, AGAIN, I WANT TO MAKE IT VERY, VERY CLEAR, THE HOSPITAL PROCEDURES WERE NOT LIMITED BECAUSE THE HOSPITALS ARE NOT SAFE. THEY WERE LIMITED BECAUSE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT PROBLEM. ON THE CALL THIS MORNING, WE WERE ON THE PHONE I THINK ABOUT TWO HOURS AND I ASKED THE HOSPITALS IN THE STATE OF OHIO, HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION TO COME UP WITH AND GET BACK WITH ME WITH A PLAN, A PLAN THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO START MOVING FORWARD AND GETTING BACK INTO DEALING WITH WHAT THE DOCTORS ON THE PHONE REFERRED TO TODAY AS DEFERRED HEALTHCARE. ANOTHER WAY TO DESCRIBE IT IS DELAYED HEALTHCARE. AND THERE IS A CONCERN AND I HAVE A CONCERN THAT LETS SAY SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD SOME REASON TO HAVE A COLONOSCOPY EVERY YEAR AND THAT IS BEING POSTPONED FOR A FEW MONTHS, THERE ARE MANY OTHER EXAMPLES THAT I’M SURE DR. ACTON WILL SHARE WITH YOU OF CONCERNS THAT WOULDN’T NECESSARILY ALWAYS BE AN OPERATION ITSELF, BUT MIGHT BE SOME SIMPLY PEOPLE WHO ARE DEFERRING THEIR CONNECTION WITH THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND SO THAT IS A CONCERN AS WE MOVE FORWARD. SO I HAVE ASKED THEM TO COME UP AND GIVE US A PLAN. I GAVE THEM UNTIL A WEEK FROM TODAY TO COME FORWARD WITH THAT PLAN. I WILL LOOK AT THAT PLAN AND – THEN AS SOON AS WE’VE HAD A – CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE PLAN AND APPROVE THE PLAN, WE WILL CERTAINLY SHARE THAT WITH YOU. WE’LL SHARE THAT WITH THE PUBLIC AND SO THIS IS A STEP THE BEGINNING, REALLY THE FIRST STEP BACK AS WE MOVE FORWARD. I HAVE ASKED THEM, THOUGH, AS THEY PUT THE PLAN TOGETHER TO STILL BE MINDFUL OF THE P.P.E. CHALLENGE BECAUSE THAT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN JUST BLOW OFF. WE’VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED WITH THAT. I HAVE ALSO ASKED EACH INDUSTRY IN THE STATE TO START PUTTING THEIR BEST PROTOCOL TOGETHER, THEIR PLANS IN REGARD TO HOW THEY WOULD PROTECT THEIR EMPLOYEES, HOW WOULD THEY PROTECT THEIR CUSTOMERS IF THEY WERE, WHEN THEY’RE ALLOWED TO COME BACK INTO BUSINESS, WHEN THEY’RE ALLOWED TO OPEN UP AGAIN. I HAVE ASKED THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR TO LEAD THAT AND HE IS GOING TO BE DOING THAT, IN FACT, HE HAS ALREADY BEEN DOING THIS FOR SOME TIME. THOSE BUSINESSES THAT WERE DEEMED ESSENTIAL, WE WANT TO LEARN FROM THEM WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED IN OPERATING DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME OF COVID-19 BECAUSE WE KNOW AS WE GO INTO THE FUTURE, IT IS STILL GOING TO BE WITH US. WHEN BUSINESSES REOPEN, THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH COVID-19. THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH HOW THEY KEEP THEIR EMPLOYEES PROTECTED, HOW THEY KEEP THEIR CUSTOMERS PROTECTED. AND SO I HAVE ASKED THEM TO START DOWN THE PATHWAY TO LOOK AT THAT. AGAIN, THERE ARE THINGS TO LEARN FROM THEM. WE HAVE ASKED THEM TO COME UP WITH THE BEST PRACTICES AND TO WORK WITH OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN REGARD TO HOW THEY WOULD PROCEED TO OPEN, WHEN IS THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO DO THAT. LET ME NOW TURN TO LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR JON HUSTED. JON. LT. GOV. HUSTED: THANK YOU, GOVERNOR DEWINE. GOOD AFTERNOON. AS THE GOVERNOR MENTIONED, WE ARE TRYING TO DO OUR PARTS HERE AS THE TEAM AND ONE OF THE THINGS I HAVE TRIED TO DO AT THESE 2: 00 P.M. NEWS CONFERENCES IS TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC ASPECT OF THE PANDEMIC, BOTH IN TERMS OF HOW IT AFFECTS BUSINESS, HOW IT AFFECTS THE WORKFORCE AND NO DOUBT, ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR QUESTIONS WE HAVE RECEIVED, IT’S BEEN ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, NOT JUST GETTING QUESTIONS AT THE PERSONAL LEVEL, THE MACRO LEVEL AND ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING THE FEARS AND FRUSTRATIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD AND ONE OF THE THINGS I HAVE FELT THAT WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF IS GETTING MORE ANSWERS OUT THERE. SO I SPENT THE LAST WEEK REALLY TRYING TO DIG DOWN AND ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ON TRACK TO DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHERE THINGS ARE. AND WHAT I WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW IS TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT I FOUND FROM THAT INQUIRY. I BELIEVE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THIS, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE FEARS AND FRUSTRATIONS AND THAT THEY KNOW THAT THE LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PROVIDING NEEDS TO GET BETTER. TO PUT SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THIS, THE SYSTEM WAS BUILT IN 2004. THAT’S THE COMPUTER SYSTEM, IT’S A MAINFRAME COBAL SYSTEM, VERY OUTDATED IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY. IT’S NOT A CLOUD-BASED SYSTEM. THEY HAVE A PLAN TO CREATE A CLOUD-BASED SYSTEM WHICH WILL CREATE MORE EFFICIENCIES AND ENABLE YOU TO DO THINGS MUCH MORE QUICKLY, BUT THAT SYSTEM DOESN’T EXIST RIGHT NOW. SO WE’RE IN THIS BATTLE WITH THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE. AND IT WORKED WELL. WHEN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 4%, IT WORKED FINE, BOTH IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY AND STAFFING. IT WAS ADEQUATE FOR THE TASK THAT IT WAS BEING CALLED TO DO. BUT AND TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE, PREPANDEMIC, PREPANDEMIC, THERE WERE 42 PEOPLE WORKING IN THE CALL CENTER AND THAT WAS SUFFICIENT TO DO THE WORK THAT IT WAS BEING ASKED TO DO. NOW THERE ARE 1,194 PEOPLE WORKING IN THE CALL CENTER AND THAT STILL IS NOT ENOUGH. THERE ARE MANY OTHER AGENCIES WHO HAVE LOANED EMPLOYEES TO DO THIS. THEY ARE SCALING UP NEW PEOPLE AS FAST AS THEY CAN, BUT THEY HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER OF TRAINERS AND A LIMITED NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN TAKE THROUGH THAT TRAINING AT A TIME. AND SO THEY’RE STAFFING THAT UP AS THEY TOLD ME AS FAST AS THEY CAN. I WANT TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE. I TALK ABOUT PREPANDEMIC VERSUS NOW. MORE CLAIMS WERE FILED IN THE LAST MONTH THAN IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. AND THAT PUTS IN PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR, WHAT THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY’RE FACING. I ASK THE QUESTION, YOU KNOW, PHONES AND PROCESSING CLAIMS, WHY NOT ADD MORE AND THEY ARE. THEY ASSURED ME THAT THEY ARE AND THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING MYSELF DIDN’T HAVE A FULL APPRECIATION FOR IS THAT, YOU KNOW, DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE TALK ABOUT A CALL CENTER. WELL, IT’S NOT A CALL CENTER. IT’S NOT LIKE THERE ARE PHYSICALLY PEOPLE THERE, BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, WE CAN’T HAVE PEOPLE PHYSICALLY THERE IN THAT CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH ONE ANOTHER. BUT THEY’RE DOING THIS FROM A DISTANCE. THEY HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO DO THIS FROM THEIR HOMES AND UPGRADING THAT AND UPSCALING THAT TECHNOLOGY AND UPSCALING PEOPLE TO DO THAT WAS PART OF THIS PROCESS. THAT HAS BEEN DONE AND IS UNDERWAY AS THEY CONTINUE TO TRY TO IMPROVE UPON THE SYSTEM, THE UNEMPLOYMENT COMP SYSTEM. THIS IS WHAT I WAS PROMISED WILL HAPPEN OVER THE COURSE OF — WILL HAPPEN OVER THE COURSE OF THIS WEEK, THAT THEY WILL ADD TEXT TO SPEECH CAPABILITIES. THOSE ARE ALREADY ADDED AND SHOULD CREATE SOME EFFICIENCIES. THEY WERE ONBOARD AN INITIAL 337 STAFF ONCE THIS TRAINING THAT I TALKED ABOUT IS COMPLETE. BEFORE THE END OF THE WEEK, THEY WILL INTRODUCE AN INTERACTIVE VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEM AND BOT TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL HELP, THAT WILL PROVIDE TWO WAYS TO ANSWER THOSE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTINS SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT ONLINE AND TALK TO AN ACTUAL PERSON. WE CAN GET THAT MOVED THROUGH THE PROCESS MORE EFFICIENTLY. BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK, THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF JOB AND FAMILY SERVICES HAS PROMISED THE FOLLOWING — THEY WILL LAUNCH A VIRTUAL CALL CENTER TO SPEED UP WAIT TIMES FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED TO CALL TO TALK TO SOMEONE AT THE OFFICE. SO THEY ARE GOING TO ADD THAT. THEY WILL ADD A — THEY WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS — THEY WILL BEGIN PROCESSING THE ADDITIONAL $600 A WEEK PAYMENTS AUTHORIZED UNDER THE FEDERAL CARES ACT. THEY WILL LAUNCH AN ONLINE TOOL THAT IS BEING DEVELOPED FOR SELF-EMPLOYED 1099 WORKERS TO GET IN LINE EARLY AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, SO IF YOU FALL UNDER THAT CATEGORY, BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK, THEY WILL HAVE THE APPLICATION PROCESS AVAILABLE, ALTHOUGH THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROCESS THOSE CLAIMS FOR PAYMENT UNTIL MAY 15, BUT BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK, THEY HAVE PROMISED THAT THEY WILL HAVE THE ONLINE EARLY APPLICATION PROCESS AVAILABLE. THEY ALSO PROMISED THAT THEY WILL LAUNCH E- APPLICATION IMPROVEMENTS BY NEXT WEEK TO IMPROVE THE INDIVIDUAL SERVICES FOR CUSTOMERS. I WILL ALSO ADD SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT MAY SAVE INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMERS SOMETIME. REMEMBER TO, WHEN YOU’RE APPLYING, TO ENTER A MASS LAYOFF NUMBER OF 2000180, THIS ELIMINATES THE NEED TO VERIFY YOUR EMPLOYER IF YOU ENTER THIS NUMBER. 2000180. THAT WILL SPEED UP THE PROCESS OF VERIFYING WHO YOUR EMPLOYER IS AND SHOULD HELP GET THAT CLAIM PROCESSED FASTER. ON MAY 1, THEY EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO PROCESS APPLICATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ENTITLED TO AN ADDITIONAL 13 WEEKS OF UNEMPLOYMENT UNDER THE CARES ACT. THOSE THAT WERE ADDED, THAT 13 WEEKS, THAT IS COMING ON MAY 1. SO THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE PROMISED ARE ON THE WAY TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE SERVICE. I GUESS THE MESSAGE IS THAT WE AND THEY HEAR YOU, THAT THEY HAVE ADDED CAPACITY. THEY WILL CONTINUE TO ADD CAPACITY AND TECH TOOLS THAT WILL HELP IMPROVE THIS, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THIS PROCESS WILL NOT STOP IMPROVING UNTIL EVERYBODY IS SERVED AND THAT REASSURANCE THAT EVERYTHING THAT YOU’RE ELIGIBLE FOR WILL BE BACKDATED TO THAT TIME. AND WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME GOING THROUGH THIS WITH THE FOLKS AT ODJFS. THEY HAVE COMMITTED TO THOSE TIMETABLES FOR THOSE IMPROVEMENTS AND I JUST WANT TO REASSURE YOU THAT UNTIL IT’S DELIVERING THE LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT PEOPLE DESERVE, THEY WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS. ADDITIONALLY, WE GOT A QUESTION YESTERDAY FROM JIM OTTE, HE ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT, ABOUT A BUSINESS IN DAYTON WHERE THERE WERE 40 PEOPLE WHO WORKED THERE AND THEY HAD RECEIVED THE INFORMATION THAT ONLY FOUR OF THEM HAD BEEN SERVED. I KNOW WHEN I HEARD THAT, MY HEART DROPPED. I WAS LIKE I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT THAT REALLY HAPPENED. I WAS VERY FRUSTRATED BY IT. AND I DID SOME DIGGING TO FIND OUT IF THIS WAS TRUE. I WANT TO USE THIS AS A CASE STUDY BECAUSE THIS REALLY KIND OF REPRESENTS WHAT THE EXPERIENCE MIGHT BE OF A TYPICAL EMPLOYER OF 40 PEOPLE. I WANT TO REPORT BACK. FIRST OF ALL, SIX CLAIMS EXISTED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND ALL OF THEM ARE APPROVED AND BEING PAID PRESENTLY. 22 CLAIMS HAVE BEEN APPROVED SINCE MARCH AND ARE BEING PAID. SO OF THE 40 PEOPLE THAT WERE DISCUSSED, 28 OF THEM ARE ALREADY BEING PAID. THREE OF THE PANDEMIC CLAIMS WERE DENIED BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUALS DID NOT MEET THE THRESHOLD TO QUALIFY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT. HOWEVER, THEY MAY BE ABLE TO QUALIFY ONCE THE 1099 SYSTEM IS STOOD UP AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT CLAIMS THAT WERE PENDING THAT NEEDED MORE VERIFICATION, A NUMBER OF THINGS, EVERYTHING FROM SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TO A VARIETY OF THINGS THAT WERE INCONSIST TENT. THE REASON I SHARE THAT WITH YOU, WHEN YOU ASK QUESTIONS, WE TAKE THE QUESTIONS SERIOUSLY. WE TAKE WHAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SERIOUSLY AND WE TRACK THEM DOWN AND WE TRY TO GET YOU ANSWERS. I THINK THAT THIS REALLY DEMONSTRATES, YOU KNOW, WHAT EXISTS OUT THERE FROM A TYPICAL EMPLOYER, MAYBE WHAT YOU’RE HEARING AND WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING AND IN CONCLUSION, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST JOBS, THERE ARE ALSO A NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS OUT THERE AS I SAY EVERY DAY WHO ARE HIRING TO BE, TO FILL THOSE ESSENTIAL BUSINESS ROLES, ESSENTIAL SERVICES ROLES AND THE CORONAVIRUS.OHIO.GOV/JOB SEARCH, 699 EMPLOYERS WITH 41,433 JOBS AVAILABLE. SO IF YOU’RE ABLE TO HELP WITH THAT, WE REALLY, THEY WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT. WE WOULD ALL REALLY APPRECIATE IT. WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. WE’RE HELPING PEOPLE IN NEED. WE’RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE EMPLOYED WHEN EMPLOYERS NEED THEM AND WE’RE TRYING TO BRING ALL OF THIS TOGETHER AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE TO BETTER SERVE YOU. SO, GOVERNOR, THANK YOU. GOV. DEWINE: DR. ACTON. DR. ACTON: THANK YOU, GOVERNOR, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. I’M BUSY TAKING NOTES OVER HERE AS JON IS SPEAKING. TO BEGIN WITH, WE’RE GOING TO START OUT TODAY ONCE AGAIN GIVING YOU SOME OF THE DATA WE HAVE AND ALSO ANSWERING JUST AS THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR WAS SAYING, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED YESTERDAY. SO WE’LL GO AHEAD AND START. TODAY WE DO HAVE CONFIRMED CASES TOTAL, 7,791. WE HAVE CASES IN 87 OF OUR 88 COUNTIES NOW. WE HAVE DOCUMENTED CASES AND COMMUNITY SPREAD AND DEATHS IN OHIO HAVE NOW TOTALED AS OF REPORTING TODAY, 361 DEATHS. AGAIN, IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT WE STILL KNOW THAT THESE NUMBERS ARE THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG FOR MANY REASONS, MOSTLY BECAUSE OF OUR LACK OF TESTING AND SOME ISSUES WITH REPORTING WHICH WE’LL BE DIGGING INTO DEEPER IN THE DAYS TO COME. I WOULD LIKE TO THEN GO, WHAT DO WE HAVE NEXT HERE. HERE IS OUR USUAL, WE HAVE NOW 71,000 TESTS HAVING BEEN RUN IN OHIO AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS PRETTY MUCH STICKING THE SAME. WE’RE STILL SEEING HOSPITALIZATIONS BECAUSE WE’RE TARGETING OUR TESTING TO HIGHEST RISK GROUPS AT 29% OF CASES. I.C.U. ADMISSIONS BEING 9%. HEALTHCARE WORKERS MAKING UP 21% OF OUR CASES AND OF THAT, LONG-TERM CARE RESIDENTS AT THIS POINT TOTALLING 700 OF OUR CASES. SO LET ME GO BACK TO SOME BASICS ABOUT OUR DATA. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHERS, LET ME MAKE SURE I HAVEN’T MISSED SOMETHING. OH, VERY IMPORTANT AND MAYBE I’LL LEAVE IT AT THIS SLIDE. VERY IMPORTANT FOR US IS FOLLOWING TRENDS AND I’LL TELL YOU WHY HERE. FIRST OF ALL, WE MADE A COMMITMENT A LONG TIME AGO ESPECIALLY IN AN AREA OF JUST GREAT DISRUPTION AND UNPRECEDENTED CHANGE TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT WE KNOW WHEN WE KNOW IT. AND I THINK THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR SO MANY REASONS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY IT IS ABOUT TRUST AND IT IS ABOUT A TIME WHERE IT’S REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF WHAT IS HAPPENING TO US. THESE ARE COMPLICATED THINGS WE’RE SHARING. SO LET ME START FIRST WITH DATA. SO WE’RE SHARING WITH YOU A LOT AND ON OUR WEBSITE, THERE IS MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN I’M SHARING HERE, EPIDEMIOLOGY DATA. IT’S TO HELP UNDERSTAND THE SPREAD OF DISEASE. WE ARE IN SOMETHING THAT HAS NUMBERS AND CHANGES THAT ARE LARGER THAN ANYTHING WE HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. SO SOME NUMBERS WE GIVE YOU ARE WHAT WE KNOW NOW AND SOME OF THEM ARE MORE HELPFUL TO LOOK AT IN MORE NUANCED WAYS. SO, FOR INSTANCE, WE GIVE YOU SYMPTOM ON SET DATA, THAT IS EPIDEMIOLOGIST DATA. THEY GO BACK AND THEY LOOK AT WHEN DID SYMPTOMS ACTUALLY START BECAUSE THAT’S MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO US CLINICALLY IN DETECTING THIS. SO SYMPTOM ONSET DATA IS DIFFERENT THAN THE DATA REPORT WHICH IS THE DAY WE GET THOSE CASES DEFINED OR THE TEST RESULTS. ANOTHER THING THAT IS DIFFERENT IS THE DAY A PERSON DIED VERSUS THE DAY WE LEARN ABOUT IT. DEATH DATA AND WE’LL GO INTO THIS IN MUCH MORE DETAIL. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS BEING DISCUSSED HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DIFFICULT THING. BY THE TIME SOMEONE DIES AND THEY ACTUALLY GET DIAGNOSED VERSUS THE TIME IT TAKES TO GET TO VITAL STATISTICS AND THEN IS REPORTED EN MASSE AND AGGREGATED, THOSE ARE ALWAYS COMPLICATED ISSUES. I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO DELVE INTO THAT AT SOME POINT. THE DATA IN SOME OF OUR GRAPHS, YESTERDAY, FOR INSTANCE, WE HAD BEEN REPORTED THAT WE LEARNED THAT THERE WERE 50 OHIOANS WHO DIED YESTERDAY. SOME OF THOSE OHIOANS WHO DIED DIED THE DAY BEFORE. SOME OF THEM DIED POSSIBLY A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT DIED TODAY WE LEARNED OF 37 DEATHS IN OHIO, THERE ARE ACTUALLY PEOPLE WHO DIED TODAY THAT WE WILL NOT LEARN ABOUT FOR DAYS TO COME. SO THAT DATA IS COMING IN FOR VARIOUS REASONS, SOMETIMES SOMEONE DIES AND THEIR ACTUAL TEST RESULT HAS NOT YET RETURNED. THAT IS DIAGNOSED AS BEING A COVID DEATH. THAT DATA IS DIFFERENT THAN SAYING HOW MANY PEOPLE WE LEARNED ABOUT TODAY. AND YOU’LL SEE THAT, AND WHEN YOU GO BACK AND WHEN ENOUGH TIME HAS PASSED, THAT’S HOW WE DO OUR SORT OF ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEATH AND THINGS, BUT THAT DATA IS CONSTANTLY MOVING AS WE’RE LEARNING AND VERY DIFFICULT IN THIS PANDEMIC IS THE FACT THAT IT IS A LONG INCUBATION PERIOD IN THIS DISEASE. SO WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC WHO HAVE THE DISEASE, BY THE TIME THEIR SYMPTOM ONSET OCCURS WHICH WE ACTUALLY LEARN ABOUT ONCE WE KNOW THEM AS A CASE, WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT MOST OF OUR CASES THAT ARE HOME RECOVERING, BUT OF THOSE WE KNOW, THEIR DATE OF ONSET OF SYMPTOMS IS USUALLY FIVE DAYS BUT COULD BE AS LATE AS TWO WEEKS AND THEN IT IS DAYS AND DAYS AND DAYS BEFORE SOMEONE WHO HAS THIS DISEASE MIGHT GET SICK ENOUGH TO BE HOSPITALIZED AND THEN WE GET HOSPITALIZATION DATA. AND SOMEONE IS IN THE HOSPITAL, BUT THEY MIGHT NOT YET BE IN THE I.C.U., WE GET THE I.C.U. NUMBERS AND THEN PEOPLE DYING IS LAGGING FAR BEHIND THAT. SO IT GOES BACK TO THAT STARLIGHT EXAMPLE I GAVE YOU BACK IN THE BEGINNING. SOME OF THE DATA WE GET IS REAL TIME EXACTLY HAPPENED TODAY AND SOME OF IT IS TELLING US ABOUT THINGS THAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED WEEKS AGO, BUT THE IMPORTANT THING FOR ALL OF US IS THAT WE COMPARE APPLES AND APPLES AND ORANGES TO ORANGES AND BE CONSISTENT IN THAT AND LOOK AT ALL OF THAT DATA IN THE CONTEXT OF TRENDS. ANOTHER THING THAT CAN COMPLICATE DATA IS REPORTING AND SOMETIMES, WHILE WE WOULD LIKE EVERYTHING TO BE LIKE THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SAID, IN A CLOUD-BASED SYSTEM IN REAL TIME, A LOT OF OUR SYSTEMS ARE OLDER THAT EXIST THAT WE USE, WE’RE FIGHTING TO MODERNIZE THEM, THAT’S AGAIN A STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY, BUT THIS DATA IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT WE’RE CAPTURING IT AND COMPARING IT OVER TIME. THAT REALLY GIVES YOU WHAT IS USEFUL INFORMATION. SO ON A WEEKEND ON ONE GIVEN SMALL HOSPITAL PERHAPS, MAYBE THE PERSON WHO REPORTS THAT WAS OUT SICK THAT DAY AND THERE WASN’T A REFILL. SO OFTENTIMES WE OFTEN FIND THAT WEEKENDS CAN BE TRICKY AND THAT ON MONDAYS, WE MIGHT GET A CLUMP OF DATA THAT WAS OVER THE WEEKEND AND THAT’S WHY, AGAIN, DATA IS USEFUL, BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK DEEPER AND UNDERSTAND THE DATA, UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOOD AND BAD ABOUT THE WAY IT’S REPORTED AND LOOK AT IT OVER TIME TO GIVE US INFORMED DECISION-MAKING. OUR DECISIONS ARE MADE ON SO MANY THINGS. THEY’RE MADE ON DATA, THEY’RE MADE ON BETTER AND BETTER DATA ALL THE TIME ON THIS DISEASE, BUT THEY’RE BASED ON A LOT OF OTHER FACTORS AS WELL. BUT WE PROMISE YOU TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING WE HAVE AS WE KNOW IT AND THAT WILL BE AN ONGOING DIALOGUE WE HAVE. A COUPLE OTHER THINGS I WANT TO TALK ABOUT FROM YESTERDAY. FIRST OF ALL, SOMEONE ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT TALKING TO YOUNG PEOPLE AT HOME AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY AWARE ONCE WE START DOING THESE BRIEFINGS THAT THERE ARE YOUNG PEOPLE WATCHING AT HOME. IT’S SOMETHING I THINK ABOUT, GOVERNOR, WHEN I SAY SOME OF THE THINGS I SAY BECAUSE I THINK IT’S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE IN HOW WE SHARE OUR INFORMATION. SO WE HAVE HAD ON OUR WEBSITE A BUNCH OF TIPS AND EVEN SINCE YESTERDAY, MORE AND MORE CAME IN FROM THE ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS FROM CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, WE ARE COLLECTING ALL OF THAT AT HOME. DON’T FORGET, OUR WEBSITE, A GREAT PLACE TO GO TO LEARN MORE TIPS. A LITTLE TEASER, A LITTLE SPOILER ALERT, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE BACKGROUND ON DOING ONE OF THESE JUST FOR KIDS. THAT’S COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE THOUGHT IT COULD BE USEFUL TO KIND OF GIVE INFORMATION IN A WAY THAT YOUNG PEOPLE COULD HEAR IT. SO THAT’S A LITTLE TEASER, SOMETHING YET TO COME. I WANT YOU AT HOME AS A PARENT TO REMEMBER A BOOK THAT OLDIE BUT GOODY, THE GOOD ENOUGH PARENT. THIS IS SOMETHING I STARTED OUT IN PEDS BEFORE I WENT INTO PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. THERE IS A LOT OF FINGER WAGGING OUT THERE IN THE WORLD, BUT AS A PARENT, YOU JUST HAVE TO GET IT GOOD ENOUGH. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE GOOD AND BAD DAYS. KIDS DO PICK UP ON THINGS WE SAY AND HOW WE SAY IT. TAKING TIME TO BE AS CALM AND REASSURING AS YOU CAN. TAKING TIME TO JUST TALK BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, THEY’LL SAY THE THINGS YOU JUST NEVER THOUGHT THEY WERE PICKING UP ON. IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF MEDIA OUR KIDS ARE SEEING. AND, AGAIN, YOU’LL HAVE DAYS WHEN YOU’RE ANXIOUS, DON’T KILL YOURSELF OVER THAT, PLEASE KNOW AND FORGIVE YOURSELF AND TRY AGAIN AS WE ALL DO THE VERY NEXT DAY. LOTS OF TIPS OUT THERE. IN THE DAYS TO COME, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT HOW YOU’RE FEELING AND WE HAVE SOME GUESTS THAT WE’LL BE BRINGING ON TO HELP YOU JUST AS A PARENT AS YOU’RE NAVIGATING THIS. I HAVE TO SAY WE HAD A FABULOUS CONVERSATION AGAIN WITH OUR HOSPITALS AND I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE WHAT THE GOVERNOR WAS SAYING THAT FOR THOSE OF YOU OUT THERE, IF SOMETHING HAS CHANGED IN YOUR SYMPTOMS, REACH OUT TO YOUR DOCTOR, REACH OUT TO YOUR PRIMARY CARE PERSON, IF YOU DON’T HAVE THAT, IT’S OK TO REACH OUT TO EMERGENCY ROOMS. OUR HOSPITALS ARE VERY, VERY SAFE PLACES. OUR HOSPITALS ARE BECOMING HOSPITALS WITHOUT WALLS. THEY ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR NURSING HOMES, WITH OUR PRISONS, WITH OUR COMMUNITY, WITH OUR FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AND I CAN’T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HOW OUTSTANDING THEY’RE DOING. THE VIDEO THAT YOU SAW, I WAS GREATLY IMPACTED BY THAT, THE TELEVIDEO YOU JUST SHOWED AND THE COUPLE. REMEMBER THAT WE’RE ALL LEARNING AND ALL GOING THROUGH THIS TOGETHER AND IT IS A TIME THAT IS VERY TROUBLING BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY. WE’RE HAVING TO TOLERATE A NEW WORLD, NOT UNLIKE POST-9/11 WHERE THE RULES HAVE CHANGED AND THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE QUITE THE SAME, BUT THERE ARE ALSO THE THINGS THAT OPEN US UP TO GREAT WONDERS AND THAT KIND OF INNOVATION AND WE’RE SEEING THAT AS WELL. SO WHILE THESE ARE TROUBLING TIMES FOR US WHERE WE DON’T ALWAYS KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS RIGHT AWAY AND WE HAVE TO TELL YOU HONESTLY, WE DON’T KNOW. THESE ARE ALSO TIMES THAT WE WILL LEARN TREMENDOUS THINGS TOGETHER AND WE WILL ALWAYS TELL YOU WHAT WE KNOW AS WE KNOW IT. THANK YOU. GOV. DEWINE: DR. ACTON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS?>> HI, THIS IS MOLLY MARTINEZ, DOCTOR ACTON, THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING TO MY QUESTION YESTERDAY. MY QUESTION IS FOR THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. IT DEALS WITH LIQUOR. [LAUGHTER] WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE — NO, KIDDING. HAVE YOU THOUGHT AT ALL ABOUT WAIVING LIQUOR RENEWAL FEES DUE IN MAY SINCE RESTAURANTS AND LIQUOR ESTABLISHMENTS ARE LARGELY CLOSED RIGHT NOW AND ALSO A VIEWER QUESTION, HAS CHILD SUPPORT BEEN AFFECTED AT ALL BY SORT OF THIS TIME OF DURESS? LT. GOV. HUSTED: I’LL TAKE THE LIQUOR ONE. WE HAVE AND WE’RE WORKING ON IT. AGAIN, IT GETS BACK TO BASIC JUSTICE THAT IF YOU HAVE A PERMIT AND YOU’RE PAYING FOR A PERMIT AND YOU CAN’T USE IT, THIS SHOULD BE SOMETHING YOU GET BACK. THE IDEA YOU WOULD BE PRORATED, SO WE’RE FIGURING OUT HOW TO DO THAT MECHANICALLY AND WE’LL HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE FUTURE. LT. GOV. HUSTED: RIGHT ON, WE’RE WORKING THROUGH THESE THINGS AS THE GOVERNOR SAID. I BELIEVE WE HAVE ODJFS DIRECTOR KIM HALL AVAILABLE ON THE LINE WHO CAN PROVIDE SOME MORE INSIGHT INTO THE CHILD SUPPORT COMPONENT. KIM? KIM: GOOD AFTERNOON, YES, GOOD AFTERNOON GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. SO OUR CHILD SUPPORT OFFICE IS VERY ENGAGED RIGHT NOW WITH OUR COUNTY AGENCIES, WE KNOW THAT OUR COLLECTIONS ARE STILL OCCURRING, IN ADDITION, THE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS ARE OFFSET BY CHILD SUPPORT, SO THOSE ARE CONTINUING TO FLOW IN AS WELL, SO CHILDREN THAT ARE BENEFICIARIES OF THOSE CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS CAN STILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THOSE. REPORTER: THANK YOU. RICHARD: THIS QUESTION IS FOR THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FROM JIM WITH THE BLADE.>> AS YOU KNOW THE OHIO’S UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION HAS BEEN UNDERFUNDED FOR YEARS AND IT’S LIKELY GOING TO HAVE TO BORROW FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGAIN THIS TIME TO GET THROUGH WITH THESE OBLIGATIONS. USUALLY THOSE FUNDS ARE REPAID THROUGH SURCHARGES, A TAX ON EMPLOYERS. COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF HAVING THAT ADDITIONAL TAX LIKE THAT AS BUSINESSES COME BACK ONBOARD AND TRY TO RECOVER FROM THIS? LT. GOV. HUSTED: I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE GOVERNOR AND I JUST HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS A LITTLE WHILE AGO. I’LL TELL YOU KIND OF WHERE I SEE THINGS AS IT STANDS. WITHOUT FEDERAL ASSISTANCE, THE UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION SYSTEM WILL BE INSOLVENT SOMEWHERE IN JUNE, SOMETIME IN JUNE. THAT’S WHAT THE EXPECTATION IS. IN ANSWERING THE QUESTION, THE ONE THING THAT I WANT TO REASSURE FOLKS ON, THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE YOUR BENEFITS, OK, THAT’S AN IMPORTANT PIECE I THINK THAT WE NEED TO DO. SO WHAT THE SOLUTION WILL BE WILL BE IN LARGE PART UP TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. WE WILL NEED TO WORK WITH THEM ON THIS AS TO THE PRESCRIPTION FOR HOW WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS, WHETHER WE’RE GOING TO ASK FOR A LARGER EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION, WHETHER OR NOT LONG TERM BENEFITS WOULD BE REDUCED, WHETHER OR NOT THE STATE WOULD BORROW MONEY TO DO THIS. SO THERE ARE A VARIETY OF WAYS THAT YOU CAN GO ABOUT ADDRESSING IT, NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE ON THOSE BECAUSE IT’S CLEARLY SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO IN CONSULTATION AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.>> WOULD YOU PREFER THERE WOULD BE NO SURCHARGES ON EMPLOYERS GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES? LT. GOV. HUSTED: I DON’T THINK WE WANT TO — I MEAN IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD DO THIS, IF WE HAD A SOURCE OF MONEY MAYBE THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT DOING TO SUPPLY SOME OF THE STATES WITH THESE FUNDS, BUT THIS IS A RESPONSIBILITY WE’LL ALL HAVE TO ADDRESS. THIS IS A ZERO SUM QUESTION, IT’S EITHER GOING TO COME FROM THE EMPLOYERS OR FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED AND YOU JUST HAVE TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE.>> THANK YOU.>> A QUESTION FOR GOVERNOR DEWINE, THIS IS JOHN FROM NEWS 5 IN CLEVELAND. LISTENING TO DR. ACTON TALK ABOUT THE FACTS AND DATA, I WAS REMINDED OF SOMETHING THAT I HAD HEARD THAT THIS HAS BEEN CALLED A PARTISAN PANDEMIC WHERE THE FACTS AND DATA THAT YOU BELIEVE DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHAT CHANNELS YOU WATCH. SPEAK TO THE DIFFICULTY YOU MAY BE FACING AS YOU HEAR THESE CALLS TO REOPEN AND THE POLITICAL PRESSURE WHILE YOU TRY TO FOCUS ATTENTION BACK ON THOSE MEDICAL FACTS AND DATA. GOV. DEWINE: THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION. I FELT ALL ALONG THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I COULD DO AS GOVERNOR IS TO LEVEL WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OHIO AND TELL THEM WHAT WE KNEW AND WHEN WE KNEW IT AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO. I THINK THERE IS A NATURAL INCLINATION, MY INCLINATION, I KNOW THAT, AMONG OHIOANS TO SAY, OK, LET’S GO DO IT. LET’S GO DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO AND THEN WE WIN. THE SAD TRUTH IS, YOU KNOW, WE WON THE BATTLE, IT APPEARS WE HAVE FLATTENED THIS CURVE, BUT THE MONSTER IS STILL OUT THERE LOOSE AND IS GOING TO BE OUT THERE PROBABLY UNTIL WE GET A VACCINE. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS. AND EXPLAINING TO PEOPLE OF OHIO THAT WHEN WE OPEN BACK UP, IT’S NOT GOING TO LOOK LIKE IT LOOKED BEFORE AND EVERYONE WILL HAVE TO WEIGH THEIR OWN, MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES AS THEY ALWAYS DO. NOW THEY HAVE IS TO WEIGH IN IF I DO THIS, THAT I’M GOING TO GET COVID-19 BECAUSE IT’S STILL GOING TO BE OUT THERE. NOW, OUR JOB IS TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE IT BETTER FOR INDIVIDUALS, INFORM INDIVIDUALS OF WHAT THEIR PERSONAL SITUATION IS AND MAKE SURE THAT EMPLOYEES WHEN THEY GO TO WORK HAVE AS SAFE A PLACE AS WE CAN MAKE IT AND THE EMPLOYER CAN MAKE IT. WHEN PEOPLE DO ANYTHING ELSE, EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO MAKE THAT AS SAFE AS WE CAN. SO THAT’S I THINK THE CHALLENGE. IT’S OUR NATURAL INCLINATION AS OHIOANS TO GO FIGHT AND WIN AND WE HAVE DONE VERY WELL, BUT THIS THING IS NOT GOING TO END AND IT’S GOING TO CONTINUE. SO THE CHALLENGE THAT AS I LOOK TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS I KNOW YOU WANT TO OPEN AND TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY THAT’S ALREADY OPEN, I KNOW YOU WANT TO STAY OPEN, BUT WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE MAKE IT AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES AND I KNOW THAT YOU’RE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AS WELL I SAY TO THE BUSINESSES. SO WE’VE GOT TO DO THAT. WHEN WE GET TO SCHOOLS TO OPEN BACK SCHOOLS, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT, HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS IN THE SAFEST WAY AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS SOMETHING I’M GOING TO BE TALKING WITH SUPERINTENDENTS ABOUT AND JON HAS BEEN TALKING TO SUPERINTENDENTS. WE HAVE A CALL WE’RE SETTING UP FOR ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION WITH ME AND THE SUPERINTENDENTS. SO THESE ARE THE DIFFERENT — YOU LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY AS WE MOVE FORWARD ON THESE, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS AS SAFELY AS WE CAN.>> THANK YOU.>> HI, THIS IS LAURA HANCOCK FROM CLEVELAND.COM. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR. ACTON. YOU HAD TALKED YESTERDAY ABOUT HOW WE HAVE KIND OF FLATTENED IT, WHEN WE GET TO THE PEAK, IT WILL BE ALMOST, YOU CALLED I IMPERCEPTABLE, THE CASES FOR SUNDAY, ARE YOU THINKING THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN? DR. ACTON: THAT IS FORECASTING HOW MANY ARE OUT THERE IN TOTAL. WE KNOW WE ARE ONLY TESTING A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE CASES. REMEMBER, WE PRIORITIZE OUR TESTING THAT WE HAVE ON THREE TIERS AND THAT MOST OF THE CASES, NO MATTER WHAT NUMBER THAT NUMBER WAS WAS GOING TO BE A BEST GUESS AND A FRACTION OF THEM BECAUSE ABOUT 80% OF PEOPLE RIGHT NOW ARE BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COVID BY THEIR DOCTOR BASED ON CLINICAL SIGNS AND POTENTIALLY THEIR CONTACT WITH SOMEONE ELSE KNOWN WITH IT, BUT THEY’RE STAYING AT HOME. THERE IS NO TEST TO GIVE THEM. SO WE REALLY — THIS IS AN ESTIMATE OF HOW MANY CASES COULD BE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW. NOW WHAT WE ALL WISH FOR IS TO KNOW THE REAL ACTUAL PREVALENCE IN OHIO AND YOU HAVE HEARD US TALK ABOUT DOING A SMALL STUDY, THE GOVERNOR IS TALKING ABOUT LATELY WE START WITH A SAMPLE SIZE OF 1,200 AND EVENTUALLY SPREAD THAT OUT, BUT WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO IS GET A BETTER SENSE OF HOW MANY ARE OUT THERE. WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC UP TO A QUARTER THAT ARE SPREADING THE DISEASE, BUT DON’T KNOW THEY HAVE IT YET. WE ALSO DON’T KNOW THE NUMBERS OF ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD IT. THERE IS NO WAY FOR THEM TO REPORT. SO REMEMBER, THAT’S WHAT’S SO CONFUSING, I KNOW, WITH EVERYONE WITH THE MODELING, IT’S SAYING, IF THAT NUMBER WAS USED TO HELP HOSPITALS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH EQUIPMENT THEY MIGHT NEED. OF COURSE, THAT NUMBER WENT DOWN WITH THE EXTREME SOCIAL DISTANCING THAT WE DID. OF COURSE, THAT NUMBER COULD GO UP IF WE WEREN’T BEING PROTECTED. I DO WANT TO TAKE ONE MOMENT AND EVERY DAY I’M GOING TO BE REALLY ANNOYING NOW AND TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE WEARING RIGHT NOW, LAURA, THAT ALL OF US ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS MASK. IT WAS JUST, I DO HAVE MY PHONE TODAY AND SOMEONE JUST TEXTED THAT THE GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND AND THE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK HAVE BOTH ISSUED ORDERS ON UNIVERSAL MASK USAGE. SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO HERE, WE HAVEN’T ORDERED ANYTHING, BUT I THINK THERE IS SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE CHANGING IN OUR WORLD. WE HAVE NOW LEARNED THAT THESE MASKS, NOT THE N-95S THAT WE’RE SAVING FOR OUR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, BUT THE ONES THAT WE’RE USING CAN REALLY BE ANOTHER LAYER OF PROTECTION. THEY’RE SORT OF FUNCTIONAL SOCIAL DISTANCING AND IT’S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. SO FOR THE REST OF US, IF HE WANT TO FEEL EXTRA SAFE AND PROTECTED AND ALSO FOR EMPLOYERS AS THEY’RE MAKING SAFE WORKPLACES, THESE MASKS ARE PART OF THE FUTURE. I THINK THAT’S EXCITING BECAUSE AT A TIME WHEN SOMETIMES WE FEEL LIKE IT’S SO FRUSTRATING THAT WE DON’T HAVE THE WEAPONS THAT WE WISH WE HAD, MORE P.P.E., MORE TESTING, EVEN THE THINGS THAT YOU’RE DOING AND I’M SEEING IT EVERYWHERE, EVERYWHERE I GO AROUND TOWN, WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE. DON’T STOP FIGHTING THIS WAR, OHIOANS, YOU CANNOT STOP. YOU HAVE TO KEEP — EVEN AS WE GO ABOUT. WE CAN MOVE ABOUT. WE CAN GO FOR A WALK. WE CAN MAKE THAT TRIP TO THE GROCERY STORE WHEN WE NEED TO. USE THIS. IT WILL PROTECT YOU, REMEMBER, IT’S NOT JUST YOU YOU’RE PROTECTING. WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN NURSING HOMES, THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE HOSPITALS, THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN PRISONS, IT’S NOT THE PRISONERS WHO ARE GOING OUT AND CATCHING THIS. UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S ALL OF US WHO CAN GO ABOUT THAT ARE CATCHING IT AND SPREADING IT. SO WE ALL HAVE TO BE DILIGENT, NOT JUST WHEN WE’RE ON THE JOB, BUT AS WE GO ABOUT OUR LIVES BECAUSE IT IS THOSE DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON OF SPREADING IT AND EVERY TIME ONE OF US DOESN’T SPREAD IT, WE GREATLY DECREASE ITS IMPACT AS WE SAW WE DID IN OHIO. THANK YOU. REPORTER: HI, I’M BEN SCHWARTZ, I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR WITH THIS QUESTION. LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, YOU SAID WE’VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS SENT IN FROM OHIO’S ESSENTIAL WORKERS AND A LOT OF THEM ARE WORRIED ABOUT BEING PUT IN A TOUGH DECISION ABOUT WHETHER TO WORK AND POTENTIALLY IN EFFECT THEMSELVES AND THUS THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OR TO NOT WORK AND POTENTIALLY LOSE THEIR JOB. THIS SPECIFIC QUESTION WE GOT TODAY WAS ASKING IF SOMEONE WERE TO QUIT THEIR JOB OUT OF THAT FEAR, ARE THEY ELIGIBLE FOR ANY TYPE OF HELP THROUGH UNEMPLOYMENT OR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES? LT. GOV. HUSTED: WELL, LOOK, THIS IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMY, WE TALK ABOUT WANTING WORKERS TO FEEL SAFE AND WANTING CUSTOMERS ULTIMATELY TO FEEL SAFE. THAT’S WHAT WE CONTINUE TO TRY TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THAT CAN HAPPEN. IN THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER UNDER THE PROVISION FOR ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES, THERE IS A LIST OF PROTOCOLS THAT BUSINESSES MUST TAKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR WORKPLACE IS SAFE. AND EVERYBODY WHO IS OPERATING SHOULD BE OPERATING UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES. IF AN EMPLOYER IS NOT DOING THAT, THAT EMPLOYEE SHOULD REPORT THEM TO THE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THEY SHOULD ENFORCE IT. IN TERMS OF HOW SAFE THEY SHOULD FEEL, I GUESS I CAN DEFER ULTIMATELY SOME OF THAT TO DR. ACTON, BUT I WILL SAY THAT WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO BUILD IS A WORKER FIT ENVIRONMENT, NOT JUST FOR THOSE ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES THAT ARE THERE NOW, BUT AS WE GO FORWARD BECAUSE THOSE LIST OF PROTOCOLS THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH BUSINESSES ON ARE KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE. AND THE BUSINESSES THAT WE TALK TO WHO ARE DOING THIS, BOTH WHO HAVE OPERATED IN CHINA AND ITALY AND OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY OPERATED WITH THESE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE AND NOT HAD A SPREAD OF THE VIRUS IN THE WORKPLACE. SO I WOULD JUST SAY TO THOSE FOLKS THAT YOUR EMPLOYER SHOULD BE DOING THESE THINGS TO MAKE THE WORKPLACE SAFE, THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE THERE FOR. IF THE EMPLOYER IS FOLLOWING THEM, THEY SHOULD FEEL IT IS A SAFE PLACE TO WORK, ALTHOUGH EVERYONE OF US CAN TAKE ADDITIONAL MEASURES BY PERSONALLY STAYING SIX FEET AWAY, BY WEARING THE MASK, BY WASHING OUR HANDS, BY NOT TOUCHING OUR FACE, BY NOT TOUCHING THINGS IN COMMON AREAS OR CONGREGATING AROUND OTHER PEOPLE. SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE CAN ALL DO TO UPLIFT OR GIVE OURSELVES A HIGHER LEVEL OF SAFETY AND I DON’T KNOW IF THE GOVERNOR OR THE DIRECTOR, DR. ACTON, HAS ANYTHING THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THAT TO MAYBE FOLLOW THAT OUT, ARE YOU GOOD? DR. ACTON: I’M GOOD. LT. GOV. HUSTED: THANK YOU. GOV. DEWINE: GOOD QUESTION. I WANT TO REEMPHASIZE WHAT JON SAID, IF SOMEONE DOESN’T FEEL SAFE IN THEIR WORKPLACE, THEY SHOULD REPORT THAT. AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND LOOK TOWARDS THE NONESSENTIAL BUSINESSES BEING OPEN, THEIR ABILITY TO PROVIDE A SAFE WORKING PLACE IS NOT ONLY SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO DO BECAUSE WE’RE TELLING THEM TO DO IT, BUT THEY NEED TO DO IT FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES. THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO IT TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN ATTRACT EMPLOYEES TO WORK THERE. LOOK, THE VAST MAJORITY OF BUSINESSES I HAVE TALKED TO, THEY WANT TO DO EVERYTHING THAT THEY CAN AND SO WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO HELP THEM BY GETTING THE BEST PRACTICES FOR WHATEVER INDUSTRY THAT IS OR PARTICULAR BUSINESS THAT IS AND REALLY KIND OF POOLING INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN GIVE THEM THE BEST PRACTICES AND GIVE THEM THE GUIDELINES THAT THEY NEED, I THINK THAT’S GOING TO HELP THEM ATTRACT CUSTOMERS. DEPENDING ON THE BUSINESS IT IS, IF IT’S RETAIL AND ALSO MANUFACTURING OR WHATEVER IT IS GOING TO HELP THEM MAKE SURE THEY KEEP THE EMPLOYEES THERE, KEEP THEM WORKING AND PROVIDE THEM THAT SAFE PLACE. LT. GOV. HUSTED: I BELIEVE I LEFT ONE PART OF MY ANSWER SHORT. WOULD THEY BE ELIGIBLE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT IF THEY QUIT THEIR JOB. I DON’T THEY WILL. WE HAVE DIRECTOR HALL ON THE LINE, I WILL GET THAT CONFIRMED THROUGH DIRECTOR HALL DIRECTOR HALL: LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, THAT IS CORRECT, WE DO HAVE A PROVISION FOR GOOD CAUSE REFUSAL AND GOOD CAUSE CIRCUMSTANCES. WHEN YOU HAVE AN OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT IN MOST CIRCUMSTANCES, YOU WOULD BE RENDERED INELIGIBLE IF YOU REFUSED TO RETURN TO WORK.>> THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. GOV. DEWINE: AS EVERYTHING ELSE, IT IS FACTS SPECIFIC. YOU WOULD HAVE TO KNOW ALL OF THE FACTS OF WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCE WAS.>> THANK YOU.>> BEN WITH ABC 6 AND FOX 20 IN COLUMBUS. YOU MENTIONED EARLIER SOME MORE PRISONERS THAT MIGHT BE RELEASING EARLY BECAUSE OF CONCERNS OF COVID-19. YOU MENTIONED THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. CONSIDERING WE HAVE SEEN A COUPLE DOZEN HERE, HUNDREDS A DAY, BUT THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS IN OHIO STATE PRISONS, HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE DO YOU THINK WOULD NEED TO BE RELEASED AND WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD THOSE PEOPLE NEED TO BE IN TO BE RELEASED IN ORDER TO HAVE PROPER SOCIAL DISTANCING AND OTHER MEASURES IN PLACE TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OR HAVE ANY OUTBREAKS AT ANY PRISONS LIKE WE HAVE SEEN IN OTHER JAILS AND PRISONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY? GOV. DEWINE: WE ASK OURSELVES AND I ASK OUR TEAM, ARE THERE ANY PRISONERS THAT WE CAN RELEASE AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT THEY’RE IN THERE FOR, WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THEM, FOR EXAMPLE, I ASKED A QUESTION TODAY ABOUT SOME OF THE ONES WHO WERE IN THE WORST HEALTH AND THEY HAVE BEEN IN THERE, MOST OF THEM FOR A LONG TIME. THERE IS A REASON THEY HAVE BEEN IN THERE FOR A LONG TIME. PEOPLE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, GEE, YOU CAN RELEASE X NUMBER OF PEOPLE. BUT AS GOVERNOR, I HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT THE PERSON I’M RELEASING, WE HAVE TO WEIGH WHAT THE ODDS ARE THAT THAT PERSON WILL RECOMMIT A CRIME OR WHAT THAT PERSON IS INITIALLY IN THERE FOR AND SO THAT’S THE CHALLENGE THAT WE FACE EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE’RE TAKING THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THEN, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN SEE THE FINISH LINE OF THEIR SENTENCE, IT’S GOING TO BE ROLLING, EVERY DAY, WE CONSIDER THEM ELIGIBLE AND AS LONG AS THEY’RE NOT MURDERERS AND RAPISTS AND A FEW OTHER THINGS, WE’RE GOING TO MAKE THEM ELIGIBLE TO GET OUT EARLY. NOW, THEY’RE GOING TO BE UNDER SOME SUPER VISION AND WHEN THEY COMPLETE THEIR TOTAL SENTENCE, DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY’RE IN THERE FOR, THEY MAY BE UNDER SUPER VISION OR THEY MAY NOT BE. IT’S ALWAYS A BALANCING QUESTION. TODAY WITH THE HELP OF OHIO STATE, WE’RE GOING TO INCREASE THE TESTING. WE’RE GOING TO TAKE THAT UP TO AS HIGH LEVEL AS WE CAN DO PER DAY, AS MANY TESTS AS WE CAN GET. WHY? IT ENABLES THE DIRECTOR AND THE PRISON OFFICIALS TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS, KNOWLEDGEABLE DECISIONS ABOUT WHO HAS IT AND WHO DOES NOT HAVE IT AND HOW TO SEPARATE THEM AND HOW TO MANAGE THAT POPULATION. SO IT IS A WAVE EVERY DAY. I HAVE A DISCUSSION I CAN GUARANTEE YOU EVERY SINGLE DAY WITH THE DIRECTOR AND OUR TEAM, WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION, BUT WE HAVE TO BALANCE THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC ALONG WITH WHAT’S GOING ON INSIDE THAT PRISON, WE HAVE DRAMATICALLY INCREASED PERSONAL PROTECTION. WE HAVE GUARANTEED, I GUARANTEED THE DIRECTOR THIS MORNING THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A FLOW OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT GOING INTO THAT PRISON. SHE IS USING IT NOW, THERE IS GOING TO BE SOME BACKUP. I GAVE HER MY WORD WE’RE GOING TO DO THAT. WE ALSO, AS I SAID, HAD OHIO STATE ON THE PHONE TODAY AND THEY HAVE COMMITTED TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THE TESTING. SO THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING, THE DIRECTOR IS MANAGING THE POPULATION THE BEST THAT SHE CAN AND I THINK THE, ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR D.R.C. FOR WHAT THEY’RE DOING EVERY DAY.>> THANK YOU. REPORTER: KEVIN LANDERS, MY QUESTION IS FOR THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. HELLO. LT. GOV. HUSTED: HELLO. REPORTER: SO IF YOU’RE A 1099 EMPLOYEE, REALISTICALLY HOW LONG WILL YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR YOUR BENEFITS AND FOR THE 1,000 CALL TAKERS THAT YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT’S SUFFICIENT TO HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF CLAIMS THAT WILL BE GOING FROM NOW INTO THE FUTURE, DO YOU BELIEVE MORE WILL BE NEEDED? LT. GOV. HUSTED: WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE DIRECTOR HALL ON THE LINE. I’LL START OFF BY SAYING THAT BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK, THEY PROMISED THAT PEOPLE COULD APPLY, SO THAT WILL HELP CREATE SOME EFFICIENCY BY AT LEAST GETTING THE APPLICATIONS IN PLACE AND THEY HAVE PROMISED TO HAVE IT UP AND RUNNING FOR PROCESSING BY MAY 15, BUT I WILL LET THE DIRECTOR ADDRESS THE SPECIFICS ABOUT WHAT THE MECHANICS ARE OF THAT AND WHAT THEY PLAN TO DO ON A STAFFING SIDE. SO DIRECTOR HALL. DIRECTOR HALL: THANK YOU, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. WE KNOW THAT THE 1,100 OR SO THAT WE HAVEN — ON THE PHONE RIGHT NOW WILL NOT BE SUFFICIENT. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE THE SAL CENTER EFFORT THAT WILL BE STOOD UP NEXT WEEK TO SUPPORT BOTH OUR CURRENT SYSTEM, BUT THEN ALSO SUPPORT THE NEW P.U.A. SYSTEM, PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE SYSTEM THROUGH WHICH 1099 FILERS AND OTHERS WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS TO ALSO APPLY. WE DEFINITELY KNOW AND ANTICIPATE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF APPLICANTS AND CALLS IN THAT REGARD AND SO WITH THE BENEFIT OF A MORE FREESTANDING VIRTUAL PCALL CENTER, WE’LL BE ABLE TO UTILIZE AN OUTSIDE VENDOR TO HELP US TAKING THOSE CALLS TO THE NEW SYSTEM.>> AND IN TERMS OF FILING A 1099, WHAT IS THE REALISTIC W WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO GET THEIR CHECK? DIRECTOR HALL: THE GOAL WITH ALLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO BEGIN AND GETTING THEIR APPLICATIONS IN AS SOON AS THE END OF NEXT WEEK WILL BE TO HAVE A PROCESS WHERE WE HAVE THAT DATA KIND OF FRONT LOADED SO AS THE SYSTEM IS BEING BUILT, IT IS ESSENTIALLY READY TO GO WHEN WE GO LIVE IN MID MAY AND PAYMENTS CAN BEGIN GOING OUT THE DOOR, EVEN WITH OUR CURRENT SYSTEM, ONCE PROCESSING A CLAIM IS COMPLETE, WE ARE CAUGHT UP WITH PAYING THAT CLAIM, SO DIRECT DEPOSIT IS ALWAYS THE FASTEST WAY. THERE SOME SMALL NUMBER OF PAPER CHECKS ALWAYS, WE WILL HAVE THAT DYNAMIC CERTAINLY, BUT ONCE WE CAN MOVE THROUGH PROCESSING, THE PAYMENT ASPECT OF ISSUING THE BENEFITS WILL GO QUICKL>> GOVERNOR, SEVERAL DAYS AGO, YOU SENT THE NATIONAL GUARD TO ELKTON FOR A MEDICAL MISSION SAYING IT WOULD BE SEVEN TO 10 DAYS OR UNTIL FEDERAL ASSISTANCE ARRIVES, SO HAVE YOU HEARD OF ANY LEVEL OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE THAT WOULD MEET YOUR DESIRES OR WILL YOU BE EXTENDING THAT MISSION? GOV. DEWINE: I’M GOING TO HAVE TO CHECK ON THAT. I’LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. I’LL TALK TO THE GENERAL. WE CAN GET THAT TO YOU TODAY.>> THANK YOU>> MY QUESTION IS FOR THE GOVERNOR AND POSSIBLY DR. ACTON CAN WEIGH IN ON THIS AS WELL. WHEN IT COMES TO RANDOM SAMPLING THAT THEY’RE DOING IN SOME COUNTRIES, WHEN DO YOU THINK THAT COULD BE AN OPTION HERE IN OHIO AND ULTIMATELY WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THAT DATA? GOV. DEWINE: I’LL START, WE HOPE TO DO THAT, YOU KNOW, BEGIN IN A COUPLE WEEKS. THE RANDOM SAMPLING, ONE THING IT’S GOING TO TELL US BECAUSE IT’S RANDOM, IT WILL BE A BIG ENOUGH SAMPLE THAT STATISTICALLY IT WILL BE RELEVANT AND IT’S FIRST GOING TO TELL US WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION ROUGHLY HAS HAD COVID-19. THAT CERTAINLY IS PART OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO GET. DR. ACTON, YOU WANT TO TAKE THE REST. DR. ACTON: YEAH, GOOD AFTERNOON. SO THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO GET A SENSE OF THE PREVALENCE OF THE DISEASE IN OHIO. THIS IS A QUESTION AS YOU KNOW WITH THIS NEW DISEASE, NOVEL DISEASE, WE’RE STILL LEARNING A LOT ABOUT IT AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT IS A FIRST ATTEMPT, IT’S DESIGNED BY SCIENTISTS, ALL OVER THE WORLD, THESE SORTS OF STUDIES ARE GOING ON. WE’RE VERY BLESSED THAT WE HAVE GREAT SCIENTISTS, BOTH AT OHIO STATE WHERE SOME OF THE LEAD RESEARCHERS ARE, BUT THEY’RE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RESEARCHERS ALL OVER THE STATE. AND IT’S A STUDY DESIGN THAT IS A LONG-STANDING GOOD ENDEEPOLOGY STUDY. IT’S TRYING TO GET A SENSE. IT’S HARD TO GET ANY TESTS AT ALL TO LOOK AT BLOOD SEROLOGIC LEVELS, IT’S EVIDENCE OF THE DISEASE. GETTING THAT DATA WILL BE THE FIRST LOOK AND WE HAVE KNOWN UP TO 40% TO 70% OF FOLKS CAN GET THIS DISEASE OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR’S TIME, BUT WE REALLY DON’T KNOW YET WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OHIOANS HAVE HAD IT, ALREADY HAD IT, MANY OF WHOM HAVE BEEN ASYMPTOMATIC, MANY WHO HAVE HAD IT, WE JUST DON’T KNOW ABOUT THEM. THIS IS GOOD, THIS WILL HELP US START TO DESIGN OUR INTERVENTIONS AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS. OUR DREAM WOULD BE THAT WE COULD TEST EVERYONE, BUT THAT’S JUST NOT A REALITY. THERE IS NO ONE AROUND THIS COUNTRY WHO HAS ENOUGH TESTS TO TEST EVERYONE AND WE KNOW THAT THAT IS A FAR OFF REALITY FOR US TO HAVE THAT MUCH TESTS. THIS GIVES US, YOU KNOW, A GOOD PREDICTION OF WHAT THAT IS AND A GOOD ESTIMATE OF THAT. SO IT’S EXCITING. I THINK IT’S VERY AGGRESSIVE ON OHIO’S PART, WE HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR THIS FOR A WHILE. IT IS HAVING SOME SEROLOGIC TESTING AND WE’RE STILL WAITING TO GET THOSE TESTS. ONCE WE HAVE THEM, THE RESEARCHERS ARE SPREADING OUT ACROSS OHIO. THAT’S ONE THING THAT WE ARE DOING OF THIS NATURE. WE ARE LOOKING AT SURVEILLANCE DATA ON FLULIKE ILLNESSES, WE ARE LOOKING AT TYPICAL DEATHS AND WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE DEATHS WE ARE SEEING NOW. WE ARE DOING A BIG SURVEY IN OHIO ABOUT THE SYMPTOMS THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD. WE’LL BE SHARING ABOUT THE KINDS OF STUDIES WE’RE TRYING TO GET GOING IN THE DAYS TO COME. IT IS EVERYTHING WE CAN DO TO LEARN ABOUT THIS DISEASE, WE’RE PART OF SCIENTISTS ALL OVER THE WORLD AND CERTAINLY ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES WHO ARE TRYING TO LEARN AS MUCH AS WE CAN AS FAST AS WE CAN SO THAT WE CAN BETTER DEAL WITH THIS ENEMY THAT WE HAVE IN THIS VIRUS. THANK YOU.>> AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE VOLUNTEERING TO BE SAMPLED? DR. ACTON: I’LL GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS ON THAT IT’S ACTUALLY A SAMPLE THAT IS DONE RANDOMLY. I’M NOT THE SCIENTIST ON THAT, I THINK WE’LL HAVE THE SCIENTISTS COME TALK TO YOU ABOUT THEIR STUDIES.>> THANK YOU. DR. ACTON: THANK YOU.>> I JUST HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION FOR DR. ACTON AND ONE FOR THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. WHEN YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR 1,200 PEOPLE FOR A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE AND YOU ALSO MENTION THAT YOU HAVE OBVIOUSLY NOT ENOUGH TESTS FOR ALL OF THE PLACES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TEST, DO YOU HAVE ANY GUIDELINES ON, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU MAKE SURE TO, YOU KNOW, DIVIDE ALL OF THE TESTS EQUALLY, DEMOGRAPHICALLY AND GEOGRAPHICALLY THROUGHOUT THE STATE. DR. ACTON: THAT’S A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT, WE KNOW THAT PARTS OF OUR STATE ARE GETTING TESTED AT HIGHER LEVELS THAN OTHER PARTS. WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REPRESENT ALL GROUPS AND SO BASED INTO A LOT OF OUR TESTING IS MAKING SURE WE DON’T LET PEOPLE FALL IN THE CRACKS OR FALL BEHIND. THAT’S A VERY IMPORTANT DISTINCTION. I NEED TO TELL FOLKS OUT THERE, THE TESTING IS THE BANE, EVERY GOVERNOR, EVERY HEALTH DIRECTOR IN THE STATES, WE JUST WISH WE HAD MORE. THERE ARE TWO BASIC TYPES OF TESTS, THERE ARE MANY, MANY BRANDS AND MANY TRYING TO GET F.D.A. APPROVAL, BUT THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF TESTS, ONE THAT TELLS YOU YOU HAVE IT RIGHT NOW AND THOSE ARE PRETTY GOOD AND ACCURATE, BUT NOT PERFECT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT SOMETIMES EARLY IN THE DISEASE, PEOPLE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH OF A VIRAL LOAD THAT YOU CAN EVEN DETECT IT. THAT’S THE P.C.R. TEST YOU HAVE BEEN HEARING ABOUT, THE SLOW SWAB WAVE, IT WAS REALLY SLOW IN THE BEGINNING, WE HAVE RAPID TESTING. THERE AREN’T LOTS OF THINGS THAT TELL YOU YOU HAVE IT RIGHT NOW. THE OTHER KIND OF TEST TELLS YOU THAT YOU’VE HAD IT. THIS IS GOING TO BE A REALLY BIG DEBATE OUT THERE, TOO. THIS IS WHERE YOUR BODY DEVELOPS ANTIBODIES AND IT’S THE ANTIBODIES THAT WE’RE TESTING FOR TO SEE IF PEOPLE CAN DONATE THEIR PLASMA AFTER HAVING GONE THROUGH THIS THAT CAN HELP PEOPLE. AND THAT AMOUNT, THERE ARE DIFFERENT TESTS OUT THERE, THERE ARE SOME THAT AREN’T GOING TO TELL YOU HOW IMMUNE YOU ARE, BUT THEY WILL DEFINITELY TELL YOU THAT YOU HAVE I.G.G. OR I.G.A. IN SOME CASES WHICH ARE THE ANTIBODIES THAT YOU HAVE THAT SHOW YOU HAD IT AND FOUGHT SOMETHING. NOW, EVERYONE IS DREAMING THAT THERE WILL BE AN ANTIBODY TEST THAT COULD BE THIS THING, YOU HAD IT, YOU’RE IMMUNE, YOU’RE IMMUNE FOR X AMOUNT OF TIME AND YOU CAN GO BACK TO WORKING RIGHT? THAT WOULD BE A DREAM ALSO. WE DON’T HAVE YET HAVE THE RESEARCH THAT IS REALLY SOUND ON THAT YET. SOME OF THESE ANTIBODY TESTS ARE, THEY DON’T TELL YOU HOW MUCH ANTIBODY OR IF YOU ARE EFFECTIVELY IMMUNE, SO THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE HEARING A COMPLICATED DIALOGUE. BUT FOR OUR STUDY, WE DON’T NEED TO KNOW HOW IMMUNE YOU ARE, WE JUST NEED TO KNOW YOU HAD IT. THAT ACTUALLY ISN’T AS COMPLICATED A BLOOD TEST AND THAT’S ONE THAT WE’RE WORKING ON NOW TO MAKE SURE WE CAN START DOING THESE STUDIES. IT WILL JUST TELL YOU YOU HAD IT. UNFORTUNATELY, IT WON’T TELL YOU HOW EFFECTIVE YOUR RESPONSE WAS TO KEEP YOU FROM GETTING IT AGAIN AND THAT’S A SUBJECT FOR DEBATE. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE BLOOD TESTS SO THERE ARE TESTS THAT TELL YOU HAVE IT AND TESTS THAT TELL YOU YOU HAD IT AND EVEN OF THOSE TESTS, THERE ARE MANY, MANY BRANDS AND MANY KINDS, SHORTAGES ALL OVER THE PLACE OF THINGS, BUT WE’RE JUST TRYING TO GET ENOUGH. IF WE COULD JUST GET OUR HANDS ON ENOUGH TO START TO LOOK AT PREVALENCE BECAUSE WE WANT THAT INFORMATION, THANK YOU.>> FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAD 100 TESTS, DO YOU DIVIDE THEM EQUALLY LIKE GEOGRAPHICALLY, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THOSE 1,200 PEOPLE? DR. ACTON: THERE ARE SAMPLING METHODS THAT DONE FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES NOW. THE SCIENTISTS DO THESE STUDIES ALL THE TIME OUT IN THE FIELD AND BASICALLY, IT’S THE 30 BY 30 AND WE’RE USING THE SMALLEST GROUP YOU CAN BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO SPARE THESE TESTS BECAUSE THERE AREN’T A LOT OF THEM OUT THERE. WE ARE GOING TO DO THE MINIMAL STATISTICAL SAMPLING METHOD. AND THAT METHOD WILL HAVE A SCIENTIST WHO ACTUALLY DOES THIS EVERY DAY AND EXPLAIN THAT IN MORE DEPTH. IT’S FASCINATING. IT’S A VERY COMMON RESEARCH STUDY AND ONE BEING USED ALL OVER THE WORLD, THANK YOU.>> GREAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH.>> HI, GOVERNOR, AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, OHIO’S UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION SYSTEM IS ANTIQUATED, OLD, WHEN YOU DECIDED WITH WHETHER OHIO SHOULD HAVE A STAY-AT-HOME ORDER, DID THE SYSTEM PLAY A ROLE IN THE CONVERSATIONS AT ALL, DID YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER THAT BEFORE SHUTTING DOWN BUSINESSES? GOV. DEWINE: WE DID NOT. THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY, THOUGH, IS A LOT OF THIS WE WERE STARTING TO SEE SOME BUSINESSES SLOWING DOWN BEFORE WE ISSUED THE ORDER AND IT KIND OF GOES BACK TO WHAT I SAID THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND COME OUT OF THIS, IT’S NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH FOR US JUST TO SAY OPEN, THE OTHER THING THAT HAS TO HAPPEN, PEOPLE HAVE TO HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY CAN GO TO THIS PARTICULAR BUSINESS OR THEY CAN — WHEN YOU GET TO RESTAURANTS, IF THEY CAN BE OR GO INTO A RESTAURANT OR COMFORTABLE GOING INTO A BAR OR SOMETHING ELSE. THE ANSWER, THE SHORT ANSWER IS, WE DID NOT LOOK AT THAT. WE MADE THE DECISION BASICALLY ON HEALTH. THAT’S HOW WE MADE THE DECISION.>> THANK YO>> THAT WAS THE LAST QUESTION. GOV. DEWINE: WE’VE ASKED A NUMBER OF TALENTED OHIOANS TO KIND OF SHARE SOME THOUGHTS WITH YOU AND I THINK YOU’LL RECOGNIZE SOME OF THE FACES AND VOICES.>> HI.>> HELLO, FELLOW DAYTONANS, I’M ALLISON JANNEY.>> JACK HANNAH.>> JERRY FROM O.A.R.>> WHAT’S UP, OHIO.>> THIS IS K.D. SMITH.>> DURING THIS TIME IT’S IMPORTANT TO PROTECT THE ONES WE LOVE AND STRANGERS. THAT’S WHY IT’S CRUCIAL TO PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING.>> THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A CRAZY TIME FOR EVERYBODY RIGHT NOW.>> IF YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR HOME, STAY AT LEAST SIX FEET AWAY FROM OTHERS, YOU KNOW THAT THAT’S AS LONG AS A GIRAFFE’S NECK.>> COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU’RE COUGHING AND WASH YOUR HANDS REPEATEDLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY.>> AS OHIOANS WE’RE COMING TOGETHER IN WAYS WE DIDN’T THINK POSSIBLE FOR OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES.>> WE ARE SLOWING DOWN AND CHERISHING THE MOMENTS WE HAVE WITH ONE ANOTHER.>> REACHING OUT TO FRIENDS, MAKE AT LEAST THREE OR FOUR PHONE CALLS A DAY, IF YOU HAVE ELDERLY NEIGHBORS, REACH OUT TO THEM AND SEE IF YOU CAN HELP WITH THE GROCERIES.>> I THINK SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW IS A LOT OF KIDS IN OHIO GET THEIR MEALS FROM SCHOOLS, SO I THINK DONATIONS TO A FOOD BANK IF YOU’RE FINANCIALLY ABLE.>> THE HEALTH WORKERS WHO IN ALL OF THE FIELDS THAT ARE PUTTING THEMSELVES OUT THERE TO HELP OUR COMMUNITIES IN OHIO, JUST THANK YOU.>> I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. EVEN DOWN HERE IN TENNESSEE TO UP THERE IN OHIO, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, NOT ONE STATE IN THIS INCREDIBLE UNION HAS BEEN UNAFFECTED BY COVID-19.>> THINK OF COVID-19 LIKE IT’S THE TEAM UP NORTH. I’M A COMPETITIVE GUY AS WELL AND WE GOT TO TAKE IT DOWN.>> ONE PERSON DOES AND CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OHIO, WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER, OHIO.>> [SPEAKING SPANIS>> REMEMBER, OHIO, WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AND I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU GUYS SOON. GOV. DEWINE: WELL, WE THANK OUR FELLOW