COLUMBUS – Acknowledging a slowdown in the growth of COVID-19 cases and progress in the development of a vaccine against the virus, Gov. Mike DeWine says this is not the time for Ohioans to drop their guard.
A U.S. government advisory panel Thursday endorsed Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, in a major step toward an epic vaccination campaign that could finally conquer the coronavirus outbreak. A final FDA decision is expected within days.
Shots would begin for health care workers in Ohio Dec. 15 and nursing home residents on Dec. 21, DeWine said. Widespread access to the general public is not expected until the spring.
“With help on the way – with the vaccine on the way – it seems to be almost an extra tragedy if someone gets the COVID now and does not survive,” he said during his Thursday afternoon coronavirus briefing.
He announced two initiatives aimed at reducing the spread of the virus as the holidays approach and the government prepares to distribute vaccines.
As expected, he extended the state’s overnight coronavirus curfew into the new year and outlined 10 steps he wants to residents to follow for the next 21 days to blaze a “pathway to the new year.”.
The curfew first enacted last month runs from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. It restricts movement outside homes but allows multiple exceptions for work, grocery shopping, medical emergencies and religious services.
Earlier in the day an increase in the number of Ohioans filing initial unemployment claims and filing for continued benefits indicated that the state’s economy was still caught in the grip of the shutdown initiated in the pandemic’s early days to slow the spread of the disease.
“I still believe the biggest threat to our economy, and what I worry about, just from the economy point of view and the jobs point of view is the virus flaming up, totally out of control,” DeWine said.
Some epidemiologists have questioned its effectiveness but DeWine credits the curfew and greater enforcement of mask-wearing requirements in stores with slowing the growth of new cases. He says the decision to extend the curfew was made with input from the medical and business communities with consideration to the economic impact and health care system.
There were 452 new hospital admissions Thursday and 11,738 additional confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, the fourth highest daily total of the pandemic. Ohio’s seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks to 11,741 new cases per day on Dec. 9.
The state will issue a variance to the curfew for specific sporting events in Ohio: the CREW/SC Seattle Sounders MLS Cup match at Mapfre Stadium Saturday, the Bengals/Cowboys game in Cincinnati on Sunday; the Browns/Ravens game in Cleveland Mondays night, and the American Athletic Conference championship game between The University of Cincinnati and Tulsa Dec. 19. The start times of those games are dictated by national television contracts and will not be finished until after the curfew.
DeWine and a dozen medical practitioners on Thursday urged Ohioans to do everything they can to slow the spread of the coronavirus leading up to Christmas, unveiling a 10-step three-week “Stay Safe Ohio” plan DeWine calls a “pathway to the new year.”
The guidelines include mask-wearing, hand-washing and distancing, as well as staying home whenever possible and avoiding travel. The recommendations warn against eating or drinking with anyone outside your household.
In total, there have been 531,850 cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio and 7,298 deaths.