COLUMBUS – Governor Mike DeWine said he hopes by next week to provide details of an economic aid package for people struggling to make mortgage and rent payments and for small businesses and nonprofits struggling with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
His administration is working closely with lawmakers on a plan to distribute federal coronavirus rescue funding, the governor said at his Tuesday news briefing.
“We don’t know how long we’re going to see a downturn in the economy. We’re battling back, we’re doing things but we still have a lot of people hurting and we need to be able to give them some relief,” he said.
The governor said he’s balancing the use of federal pandemic aid dollars for such assistance while reserving some for testing.
He said some of Ohio’s approach depends on whether Congress will pass another aid package. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no such aid will be negotiated until after the election.
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DeWine again stressed that Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis should serve as a reminder that anyone can become ill with coronavirus and that Ohioans should continue to take necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Each of us can demonstrate our love and respect for our fellow Ohioans by wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings, keeping at least 6 feet of distance from others, and frequently washing our hands. This is in our control,” DeWine said.
DeWine says state officials are concerned about an uptick in the number of hospitalizations.
Although COVID-19 hospital admissions had been declining since peaking in mid-July, they are now trending upwards (see illustration) with an increasing number of hospitalizations in rural Ohio.
The average age of hospitalized patients has also gone up in recent weeks. Ohioans 60 and older now account for approximately 70 percent of COVID hospital admissions as compared to 50 percent of hospitalizations in July.
Regionally, comparatively fewer hospital admissions have been occurring in central and northeast Ohio while the western part of the state has been seeing an increase.
All regions of the state currently have adequate hospital capacity, DeWine said.
Less than 3% of the state’s hospital beds are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to REALDATATRENDS.
The state Tuesday reported 1,335 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 161,299 with 4,947 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. The number of active cases increased by 145 to 17,545.