CLEVELAND — Governor Mike DeWine says all Ohioans must have a “sense of urgency” about the emerging threat of the new coronavirus, which has spread to 56 countries.
While visiting @metrohealthCLE today, I gave an update on #Ohio's preparedness and education efforts to limit the potential spread of #Coronavirus Disease 2019. There are currently no confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Ohio nor anyone currently under investigation for the virus. pic.twitter.com/CwHdYtaz8D
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) February 27, 2020
DeWine, along with state and local health officials, gave a briefing Thursday at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland about how Ohio is preparing for the inevitability of COVID-19 cases being diagnosed in the state.
DeWine said seven people who had returned to Ohio from overseas have been tested for the virus and all tested negative, so there are currently no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and none are under investigation.
“We know that this could change and so we have to be prepared,” he said. “We certainly cannot predict the future and this disease continues to evolve.
More than 200 people in the state have been asked to voluntarily quarantine themselves 14 days after traveling overseas.
See the Ohio Department of Health’s prevention recommendations
Director of the Dept. of Health Dr. Amy Acton says the state is ready to respond to diseases like COVID-19, which she says are “predictably unpredictable.”
“While we might not know exactly where it might spread first or where the one case in Ohio might occur, we really know what to do about it when it happens,” she said.
Acton says those suffering from COVID-19 may display flu-like symptoms and not know they have it but the coronavirus is “particularly catchy,’” she said
“It’s a little more dangerous than the flu but it’s not as dangerous as things we’ve seen in the past, like you have dealt with here, like Ebola, or SARS or MERS [Middle East Respiratory Syndrome],” Acton said.
DeWine has ordered some state agencies to step up prevention efforts, such as ordering the Department of Transportation to post prevention and hygiene information in state rest stops and the departments of Rehabilitation and Corrections and Youth Services to increase the use of disinfectants in their facilities.
DeWine is also urging colleges and universities to limit overseas travel and encourage students and staff to get flu shots.
He ordered that agencies pay “aggressive attention” to common areas in state-owned buildings, including increasing the frequency of cleaning and installing hand sanitizers in lobbies and hallways.