COLUMBUS – More than 50 Ohio State University medical students will graduate nearly a month early to begin fighting the coronavirus epidemic.
The Ohio Department of Health call center is open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to answer questions regarding COVID-19 at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).
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Ohio Department of Health coronavirus website
Ohio COVID-19 Dashboard displays the most recent preliminary data
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The university board of trustees Friday approved the awarding of medical degrees on April 12, instead of May 3, for students who have completed all requirements to graduate and have commited to engage in the crisis as quickly as possible.
One hundred and seventy five of 184 students have met the graduation requirements and 54 have declared their intention to join the healthcare work force upon graduation and requested the early date, university spokesman Benjamin Johnson said.
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The summer bar exam, in the other hand, is up in the air, leaving some 46,000 law students in limbo who are waiting to take the high-stakes test.
The delay threatens a pipeline of young lawyers who often provide legal help for some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations.
The National Conference of Bar Examiners says it will decide May 5 on whether to offer the test as planned in late July.
Alternatives being considered include breaking test takers into small groups, administering the test online or allowing the 2020 class to practice without taking it.
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UPDATE 4/12/20 2:23 p.m.: The state on Sunday reported 6,604 confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus and 253 deaths.
The Ohio Department of Health has begun including the expanded case and death definitions in reporting data from the Centers for Diesease Control and Prevention.
The number of cases of COVID-19 and deaths reported by the state under the CDC guidelines includes those who have tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, those who’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19 without a laboratory test, and those whose death certificates list COVID-19 as the cause of death without a laboratory test.
“This new guidance enables us to better track who has the virus currently and those who have had virus, are recovered, and are no longer a threat in passing it along to others,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “Using this guidance will be instrumental in helping us trace the spread of the disease and eventually isolate it to smaller pockets or areas, so we can open things back up again.”
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DeWine announced during his daily Statehouse news briefing Friday that, thanks to a waiver of federal regulations, a new permit is available from the Ohio Department of Transportation that allows food truck operator to sell food to truck drivers and other essential personnel who stop at any of the state’s 86 rest areas.
As essential workers, truckers have been allowed to operate, transporting food and other necessities like toilet paper and cleaning products to retail stores but have found it difficult to get food as many restaurants have closed, except for carry-out service, or cannot accommodate large semis in their parking lots of drive-thru lanes.
Vendors must display the free permit at all times while operating and must abide by state and local food service regulations, as well as social distancing guidelines, DeWine said.