DeWine: Hospital space decreasing, COVID-19 vaccine discussion ongoing
Ohio - Providing the state of Ohio with another coronavirus update Thursday, Governor Mike DeWine said, "The message is clear," and urges all Ohioans to stay home unless absolutely necessary to buy "essential supplies."
This comes as he announces there are 8,921 new COVID-19 cases in Ohio, being the fifth-highest case count the state has seen in the pandemic.
There are 396 new hospitalizations and 33 new ICU admissions reported within the past 24 hours.
In total, there are 5,142 patients currently hospitalized and 1,204 in the ICU.
82 deaths are reported since yesterday.
Governor DeWine along with state leading doctors pointed to the concern over hospital and intensive care unit space.
"We're in a really difficult spot here," Dr. Andy Thomas of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said, "...And we're just now heading into the most challenging three months of this pandemic. ICU beds are the area of capacity where we have the biggest strain across the state, especially in rural areas."
He said the current coronavirus surge does not count the potential Thanksgiving case numbers.
"Usually, people are admitted a week after they're diagnosed," Thomas said, "This is not the beginning of the end. This is not even the end of the beginning."
As hospitals around the state are delaying non-emergency procedures, Dr. Nora Colburn, Associate Medical Director for Clinical Epidemiology at OSU said, "Non-COVID patients are being crowded out of the system and won't be able to get the care they need to stay healthy. We all must do our part to stop the spread of the virus."
DeWine said this is the first week since April where the positivity rate of those tested in Ohio has passed 15%.
Doctors addressing the state said Ohioans need to wear masks if they are near any individual indoors or outdoors. They also said Ohioans should not gather with any individuals or family who are not a part of their household.
Regarding the vaccine, DeWine said, "We are still in discussions with the federal government about how many vaccines we will receive and when. The situation is fluid, and I will provide more information soon."
