COLUMBUS – The vast majority of deaths from COVID-19 in Ohio have occurred in prisons and long-term care facilities, home to many high-risk individuals and where maintaining social distance is difficult.
As of Wednesday, 1,246 residents of Ohio’s long-term care facilities have died from the virus, meaning long-term centers account for nearly seven out of 10 deaths from the virus in the state. Prisons account for another 67 deaths.
Franklin County led the state with 123 fatalities, followed by Lucas County with 121.
The latest Ohio Department of Health statistics include all of the coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.
DeWine has said he’s working on a plan to ramp up testing for the coronavirus at nursing homes. That includes deploying 14 teams of Ohio National Guard members to assist with the testing.
Meanwhile, two Democratic lawmakers are calling on DeWine to create a task force to address the spread of COVID-19 in prisons, expand early release efforts for low-level, non-violent offenders, and stop accepting new inmates.
According to the state Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, 63 inmates and four prison employees have died of the disease.
“These measures can disrupt the spread of the virus and could curb the number of deaths. We are obligated to protect all Ohioans, including those incarcerated and working in correctional institutions,” said Rep. Erica Crawley (D-Columbus), who signed the letter along with Rep. Jeff Crossman (D-Parma).
The state on Sunday reported 31,911 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 1,969 deaths in Ohio.