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Coronavirus latest: 1,106,411 cases in Ohio; 461,717 in Kentucky; 748,654 in Indiana

Coronavirus latest: 1,106,411 cases in Ohio; 461,717 in Kentucky; 748,654 in Indiana
Yeah. Mhm. Well, good morning everyone. Last night, we had our second winners. Second group of winners. Mhm. So if Vincent scholarship winner Jonathan, Carlisle Jonathan is from Toledo and Zoe is from Mayfield Village. So we're had the opportunity last night to meet Zoey's mom, and then also had the opportunity to face Time Zoe and her dad, and it was a lot of funds, I think we'll start with Zoe. Zoe, How are you doing? I'm doing great. So you you you and your dad and your siblings are out of town at getting ready for your aunt's wedding, I believe, so that's a happy uh happy occasion. So tell us uh tell everybody kind of how you found out about this uh last night, I think I called your dad um about 7 15, something like that. And uh once you kind of tell us what you've, what you heard and what you thought then um Yeah, so you made a call to my dad last night at around 7 15, and it was just kind of like weird because he just kept saying your name and I was like, what's happening? And he said that like I'd want the scholarship for the vaccine that we entered like basically while just sitting there waiting for um my second dose. And it was just like really wild because it like came out of nowhere. We weren't really expecting it at all. And it was just like this super big surprise that we're all so excited about it. Well that's great. I talked with you a little bit into your mom friend. I had the chance to meet your mom uh in the pouring rain last night. So it was a great great seeing her. She came home a little bit after uh that I had talked with with your dad and talked with with you. Um You've been thinking about college, you're a rising senior, so you'll be in your last year of high school. What, what have you been thinking about in regard to college? Um, I've had a lot of like thought put into like my career and everything and based on that where I want to go and I'm definitely interested in medicine. So like, I've been looking at like a lot of colleges has got like pre med or bio programs and that kind of thing that I'm really looking into. Um, like colleges like Taste Mustard and Ohio State has definitely like been on my radar for that, but I'm definitely within other colleges as well. Well, the college search process is always fun. Kind of interesting. So you're right in the middle of that. So this is well, this is great. So well, so we will come back to you, um, Anything else you want to tell us? And then I'm sure some of the media may have some questions later on. Um No, I think that's pretty much all right. So we thank you. Congratulations. And we'll go now to Jonathan Jonathan. How are you doing? Good, very good, excited. Well, so I I called you last night and this was a little bit after seven I think. And you you your your call went to voicemail. And so when you when you picked up that voicemail, what what did you think? Um I just got done with a very, very long shift delivering packages for amazon. And um I was getting ready to park my van for the day and I looked down at my phone and I saw your name on my phone and I knew I had a feeling what was that? And I listen to voicemail and and I pretty much almost lost it inside the van. Uh huh. Well you uh you called me, you called me shortly after I left that message and uh so you you thought maybe uh you might have one. Is that what you thought? Maybe I I've been paying attention and I was fairly certain I won but I wanted to hear your voice and so I could just be certain that this was really happening. And when I talk to you I'm sure you could tell that I was just overcome and I knew what was happening. It was I can't explain it. It's nothing like that ever happened to me. Well Jonathan, you you told me you moved to Ohio a few years ago, right. What year did you come to? Ohio 2013 2020 13. And what are your thoughts about what you're gonna do with the money? You haven't had much time to think about it but any thoughts? Uh Yeah yeah I can tell you I did not sleep very much last night. Um I was dreaming a lot about the future. Um I know that me and my family would uh we we we want to find our forever our permanent home hopefully sometime in the near future and beyond that. Just I just want to have someone help me make this last uh this is a good foundation for my family. It's unbelievable. So I think you all have a you've got a fairly new baby right fairly young baby. Yes sir he's five months old today. Um He's he's a handful. But yes uh This is like I said this is uh this is so so welcome. I can't explain how how much pressure this is going to take off to help raise him. Right Well that, that is great. I think you told us you got the shot maybe a couple of days after we announced the maximilian kind of what was going through your mind when you decide to get the shot to end. Uh, yeah. I, my girlfriend had already gotten her first dose and I was, I was, I was waiting. I was putting it off a lot because I was just working all the time and I just kept putting it off enough. But I, I knew I needed to get it and I wanted to get it. And as, uh, when I, y'all announced the maximilian, I as soon as I heard that I was like, yes, I needed to go do this now. And I think it was two days later, I went to the Lucas County Rec center and got the johnson johnson shot, Well, that's great. Well, good, Great Talking with you, hang on there because in a few minutes, uh, we're going to open it up for the news media and they, I'm sure we'll have some questions for you and Zoe both. So again, good, good talking with you and congratulations. Thank you. We talk for a moment. Kind of where we are in regard to the virus and where we are in regard to vaccinations. Now, the way I would describe this today is that we have taken the lead. You know, we're ahead of this virus at this point, but hours like the sports analogies and you know, it's like a basketball team or football team that has a lead. You can't sit on the lead. You've got to continue to score points. You've got to continue to be on offense, You've got to continue to move forward. And so that's really, really where we are in Ohio and the way we move forward, the way we assure that we get back to normal is for more and more of us to get vaccinated. That's why, you know we did the maximilian. That's why we've got over 2000 places in the state of Ohio where people can get vaccinated. That's why you're seeing our local health departments pharmacies and doctors all pushing and doing everything they can to make the vaccine available to everyone in the state of Ohio. So that's where the game is today. It has to do directly with with that vaccine. And that's why we put so much emphasis on while we're spending a lot of energy on it time and resources because that is how we make sure that we get this down and we're seeing the results. I mean the results have just absolutely phenomenal. Uh the cases have been going going down. Eric let's go to the first for slide. If you look at this slide, what you'll see is our blue counties. We only have four left that are above the 100,000 uh that 100 100 level. And if you recall, we set a goal of trying to get this down to uh 50 health orders of course came off yesterday. But it's interesting that that how far how close we are uh to those numbers as of yesterday, we'll get new numbers here in a few hours. But as of yesterday we were down to 58.3 58.3. So this has been dropping 234 points a day. And it's just, it's interesting, you know, point in time where we set a specific date the health orders was going to come off. Uh It's gonna coincide not too far from where we get below 50 at least. That's what looks like we're 58 point point three now, as you look at these slides also, I think another, you know, very interesting point is about half the counties now are are below 50 uh and that continues to change every day, but about half of those counties now are are below 50. So we hope to see that continued to drop and you know, we have always felt that there is an inverse relationship. The more vaccine more people get vaccinated. You know, the lower these cases are going to come and we didn't know exactly how fast it would work, but we know that's what would happen and that is exactly what has been has been happening. Let's look at the next slide eric if we could. So this is our this is from yesterday. So this is not uh, you know, not not new. We'll get new new numbers uh, later today. But since we're doing this in the morning, we were basically dealing with yesterday's numbers. But I think that, you know, it's if you look at these numbers are very significant. First of all, before we actually get into the different age groups, let's talk about how we look at this. So what you're seeing on the screen is 45 a half percent of the total population of the state of Ohio, 45 a half percent of the total population of Ohio today has received at least their first dose of the of the vaccine. The way it's normally talked about on the national news has to do with adults. And so if you look at adults 18 and over were 56 roughly 56% of that population. Uh, and you'll notice of course, that the president is cynical by july 1st july 4th, excuse me to be at 70% of those adults. There's another figure though, that we look at a lot and that is over the age of 12. And we look at that because the scientists tell us that people over 12, once you get into junior hind, and certainly into senior high, um, those individuals can spread it a lot. And so when you're really trying to get control of this, you really have to look at over the age of 12, 12 and over. So of that population were at 53% of that population. So again, if you look at the total, uh, everybody in in Ohio, even those who are not even eligible yet, we're at 45 a half percent. If you look at those over the age of 18, 18 and over 56%. And if you look at over the age of 12 were at 53%. Uh Now let's look at the at the different age groups and what what you'll see eric, let's go back to that previous one please. Um What what you're going to see here is when you look at those uh over the age of 65 you know, were around high seventies, almost 80%. Some of those, some of those are over over 80%. So it means that we still have about 1/5 of our most vulnerable population that is not vaccinated. We continue to work very very hard to do that. And health departments are literally knocking on doors. I know they're going out to people who cannot get out. And so if you have anyone in your family who is over 65 for example, who has not been vaccinated, needs help in getting that vaccine, call your local health department, call us and we'll do everything we can to get them vaccine because this is the age group that is the most vulnerable. Let's look at the younger age group. However, if you look at this group here and as we look at this, this group, um, you know what we see is that's naturally where we have the most room to grow. And if we're going to get to 70% that's where the bulk of those are going to come from. Uh, I don't think anybody knows where 70% in Ohio is is a magical number of what we do in authority scene is every day when we get more people vaccinated, we're making it harder and harder uh for this virus to spread. And that's that's really where we are. So we continue to look at our older most vulnerable, continue to make that available, continue encourage people to get vaccinated. But when we're looking at how we get two, slowing this down even more and get to the bigger numbers. Um it's the it's the younger younger people. It's those basically under 50. Uh That's where you're gonna see. That's where we have the biggest room to grow. It's probably easiest way to to explain that. Let's go eric to the slide on hospitalization. You've got that up there again. Uh We're down now to this is yesterday's data, 670 of our fellow Ohioans are in the hospital. That's 672 many. But those numbers continue basically week to week to be dropping. And that is certainly some very good news. Uh Let me share with you also. Um, before I go to the lieutenant governor and then questions, uh, what some of the just great things that are being done by health departments, but also doctors and others who are providers out there, doing some really great great work to try to make sure everybody has the opportunity to get the vaccine. Um, start county, they're strong, healthy together is what they call a strong healthy together campaign to encourage vaccinations was created after doing informal focus groups with their staff with Covid 19 response team and other members of the general public. The health Department partnered with the Stark area Regional Transit Authority and with the local Mcdonald's restaurants to have people take the bus to get the Pfizer vaccine and they leave with a voucher for a free Mcdonald's meal. So again kind of a neat, neat thing to do up in Lorain County, They partnered with a local latino, nonprofit advocacy organization. Staff went to local restaurants to schedule people for upcoming vaccine appointments, made phone calls to encourage local families to get vaccinated down Hamilton County. They partnered with the board of elections with an ongoing vaccination clinic. They've offered smaller clinics with local businesses. Claremont County, partnered with breweries and movie theaters or discounts were offered to those who were vaccinated this weekend. Henry County Health Department's hosting a vaccination clinic at four of the county's high schools in partnership with Henry County Hospital with Rite Aid and with walmart, this effort is called, quote, let's have a great Summer. I know quote, let's have a great Summer. It offers the Pfizer vaccine to those 12 years of age and older. So we'll continue to seek out innovative ideas and encourage those ideas throughout the state of Ohio. And I just want to thank all our partners, everyone out there who's working so very, very hard to get more people, uh, vaccinations and their arms and for us to move forward as a state. Let me now go to the lieutenant governor and then we'll go to questions. Thanks governor and congratulations to Jonathan and Zoe. That's great. But for all of you who are not Jonathan and Zoe, we still have good news for you. Today. We are announcing another round of tech cred credentials that we're offering to people to help you get many of the good jobs that are out there, uh, and to earn free credentials. Oftentimes, those credentials will count as college credit. We are governor hitting a milestone today. We promised at the beginning of the administration that we were going to seek to offer credentials to 10,000 Ohioans a year free of charge, thanks to the generosity of the taxpayers of the state. And today we have crossed the milestone in this 1st 19 months with 23,000 credentials awarded. And this particular round, we had 310 companies were awarding $4.2 million to help Ohio employees earn 3882 tech focus credentials. And through eight rounds of this now we have 1000, 310 Ohio employers who are offering 23,000 or who whose employees have access to 23,000, 723 technology focus credentials. Um This total amount is going to be over $25 million. Uh and we're glad to announce these today. It was great that we had in this group a record number of small businesses that applied, which was 124 businesses. Almost half of the businesses that were awarded were small businesses. We've been working really hard to try to promote it to small business. Uh, I want to remind businesses that there are um six credentials that your employees can earn in the cyberspace. We know cybersecurity is incredibly important for all employers in the state. And small employers maybe in particular don't have access to people in that area. You can upscale your employees to get those cyber credentials. We have another round of tech cred that is open right now for funding that will end on june the 30th. So employers and employees apply for this. Remember you can find out all of this information at tech cred dot Ohio gov for employers who want to upscale their employees and if you're not employed. And I looked at the Ohio means jobs website. Just yesterday, there were over 100,000 jobs on that website alone that pay $50,000 a year or more. And these credentials are the kinds of credentials you need to get many of those jobs they are available to you free, free of charge. If you're not employed, you can also use the Map program, the individual micro micro credential program. You can find more information about these if you just do on you. If you just search uh Map Ohio, you'll find all the information that you need on that. So there is no barrier for an Ohioan who wants to earn a tech credential. We have programs that will help you do that to access one of the many great jobs that are out there today and you can do it free of charge and and we continue to grow and expand in this area. More and more. Ohioans are taking advantage of it, which means they're more job security, More earning, potential employers have the talent they need to succeed. And just uh wanted to share Governor. That we hit our hit our mark on the program. And we hope that the General Assembly will add more money as they have so far in the budget process so that we can expand this to even more Ohioans in the in the coming years. Thanks Governor. Well, we've had a great partnership with the General Assembly on this. It's been a very very very successful program we're excited about. So time to go to questions. First question is from john London at WLWT in Cincinnati. John hi governor. There seemed to be more vaccine million spin offs right now than cicadas. Even free beer from what I read if the U. S. Hits the market. And we heard Jonathan say that you know he was putting this off until the announcement about maximilian. Do you have a sense of how many Jonathan's are out there? How many people are getting vaccinated to have a shot at winning a million dollars? And are you starting to feel like a game show host yet? Well yeah. Yeah. When we show up at people's houses friend, I do it about 7 15. Yeah. It's kind of a strange feeling uh knock knock on the door. Uh We'll make a phone call. Uh You know john I think it's a good point. Um One of our goals was really to speed people up and you know a lot of people may get it, we'll get it at some point. Um You know Jonathan said that he was going to get at some point but sounds like from what he said today and what he told us yesterday, you know, that sped up his time and doing it and we know that's just very, very, very important. The thing that friend I found when we went out and we've been to over 40 different sites where people were getting shots and we just tried to listen to people and what they were, what hear what they were saying and what some of them were saying is that the reason they got it that day, you know, it was, it was a number of things, but it was clear that there are some people who you know, probably we're gonna probably we're going to get a shot but they weren't a big rush. Uh You know, maybe they had a lot of work going on, as Jonathan said, uh maybe there's other things, million other things going on their life and so they just hadn't gotten to it yet. And so I think it's been very successful, particularly in regard to that. I still believe that there are people out there and you know, we're looking at uh talking with a couple of Ohio companies about maybe a couple other offers to kind of uh make this a little more enticing, but we don't have anything to announce today on that. But it's still, you know, it's still, I think there clearly there's still people out there and we were just again, ask anyone who's thinking about getting the shot. You know, go ahead, get your shot, then sign up. You know, we've got a lot, a lot more drawings coming, we've got three more weeks, you have the opportunity to win a million dollars, you have the opportunity to win a scholarship. So it's exciting. Next question is from Jesse Palmer at the Cincinnati Enquirer. Hi, congratulations, both Jonathan and Zoe. My question is for Zoe. Actually, what sparked your interest in medicine as a possible career? And I guess how is this past year of Covid 19 affected that interest. Um So I've sort of been interested in medicine, in science for like as long as I can remember and I just recently um completed my first year in our MedTech program at school and it's just been like, I think I've wanted to do for like such a long time and I'm so you have an opportunity like MedTech to like do it in real time in real life and I guess in the past year um I would definitely say like Covid is somewhat affected um my ability to actually like do the program because of like you know, doing school online museum and having assignments online instead of in school and things like that. But I am just excited to be out of it sort of and to be able to actually like do my interest in college later on and actually be a doctor and go to med school and everything in the future, especially with this for your scholarship. I'm excited to actually be able to um put my focus on paying for med school and said my first four years. So I'm super excited about this. Yeah. Next question is from Daniel Daniel L in Cleveland. Congratulations Jonathan and congratulations Zoe. We love having winners from Northeast Ohio. That means we're two weeks in a row that we've had a vaccine million winner. Um, Governor, I want to talk about the numbers and we seem to deal a lot with bumps in this last year and there was a sizeable bump in the amount of people who got vaccinated after the announcement vaccine. Million in that same chart that you bring up. Its clearly defined as a two week bump. But even that two week bump has now fallen off just 11,000 vaccinated yesterday. And those were the levels that we were seeing before the million dollars. Are you worried that this bump is over? Um, even though yes, 11,000 is a is a good number. It will not to get us from 56% to 70%. Well, great question. I think that, you know, we've succeeded uh, and got a lot of people vaccinated quicker than they would have many people who have been vaccinated. Maybe we're going to get it at all. Um, so what we're going to continue to do is provide information is, you know, the vaccines as we get them as they come in. There are a day late, two days, three days for you know it takes the further out you get from those days, the more they fill in. And that's kind of a concept that it took me a while to understand because I'm looking at dailies and then you look at the daily and whatever it is until you break it down. You know, some of them are yesterday, some of the day before, some of the day before that. So what we're looking at, you know, we still have, we now have two weeks that are pretty complete. Uh we're not getting much in for those two weeks and you know, starting at where the base base was. And then week one week two. As you point out, both of those weeks are up um you know our first concern candidate was to stop the bleeding And by that I mean stop it from going down. I mean we were seeing it go down uh and so trying to write that ship and get it moving. So righting the ship in of itself was I think an accomplishment we would normally expect around any holiday. Uh a very significant drop off and that's not just on the holiday, it's usually a couple of days before and a couple of days after the holiday. So it's gonna be a few more days until we see really what week three looks like and how that week is filling out and uh you know, clearly it's not going up as fast as it was, are we leveled off or where are we? We're not gonna know for for a few days, but you know, I think it's already been very, very successful. We're happy with with where it is. As I said before, it's, you know, we saw increases that were beyond any kind of wild, my wildest dreams. What we would be able able to see. We're going to continue to look at this and look, as I said a moment ago, to john um you know, we're talking with a couple of companies in other ways, maybe to hire companies to increase uh sweet sweetness a little bit and uh, get people continue to get people excited. But we're going to continue to go on and do everything we can to make it available to people. And uh, you know, we're happy with where we are, but we know we have a ways to go. I mean, that's that's the nature of this. And uh, you know, we're not stopping. And as I said, early on, uh, you know, we're not, we're ahead of this virus. Now, finally, we're ahead of it. We've got the tools to continue to knock it into the ground. But like a football team or like a basketball team, we cannot sit on the lead. That lead will go away. We have to continue to work every single day to get more people vaccinated. That's what we're doing. Next question is from Noah Blondeau at Hannah News service. Good morning Governor Morning. You you have um sort of indicated that maybe you have more to say in the future on additional incentives to drive vaccination. And I'm wondering given some sentiments expressed by a lot of members of the General assembly about your maximilian, a lot of them weren't happy. Has that affected funding sources and ideas of what you will offer in the future or you think it's um, likely that you would use the same funding source again. Uh huh. Look, I don't think, I don't, look, I think, I don't think we know at this point and you know, I mentioned this morning, we're talking to a couple of companies that were involved with yesterday. I was on the phone and um you know, we hope to be able to give you some information about that in the future or something that they might offer. Ohio product that might be offered. So kind of excited about that. But for 15 months we've had to play this game day to day. And so this is, this is no different. As we come out of this. As Ohio moves forward, we still have to finish the game. And finishing the game means getting more and more people vaccinated. So we're going to continue to examine that and and look at that and see what we, what we need to do to get that done. It is if you look at our ability to save lives, if you look at our ability to keep people out of hospital, if you look at our ability for the economy to move forward and people get back to normal, there is no substitute for the vaccine. It is the most important thing. And the easiest way to explain that is to look at the how people feel when they have been vaccinated. And as I said, Fran, I've been over 40 sites and it's a feeling of those are happy places. Uh, is a feeling of, I get my, I'm getting my life back and we just want that for more moral highlands, uh, and you know, we're moving there, but we're not there yet. Next question is from Jim Adi at W. H. I. O. In Dayton. Hey, jim. Hey, good morning governor. A clarification that a question for Zoe. The clarification, do you happen to know governor what the cash value of the uh college scholarship is? As you deliver that to Zoe and and to the previous winter. And then so your, your reaction to that. This is a lot of money. Yeah. Let me start Zoe. I'll go first. I can't answer it. But uh, we can get you that today. Jim is when we designed this, I said, lets peg it to the cost of the most expensive state university and let's include tuition room and board for four years as well as books. And so taking that figure, that's the amount of that will be put into uh 5 29. And you know, in in Zoey's case, um, you know, that will be available to her very quickly. She starts starts college next year. So Zoe um yeah, my initial reaction to this was just like I can finally be able to like focus on my later education in med school hopefully rather than have to worry about taking out student loans later on. And it was just like I, I felt like a weight off my shoulders sort of because I could like really see my career ahead of me instead of seeing um a time of me paying off my debt because of medical school because of my later education and it was just like kind of like a big relief in that sense. Okay, thanks. Next question is from Laura Hancock at Cleveland dot com. Hi, I'm Zoe and Jonathan, congratulations to the both of you. I just had a clarification question for Jonathan first and then I have a question for the governor. Um Jonathan, you said that you had a five month old I think son and I was wondering if that was your whole family, your girlfriend, your son and you, or are there other Children just for clarification? And then my question for the governor is um, with the Senate budget that came out, there was a higher proposed tax cut and also a lot of changes to the way that we would be funding public Ed. And I was just wondering if you, when you look through that and now you probably have looked at all that, you know, what struck you about it or what, you know what your thoughts were? Um, yes, we have two other boys. She has two boys that live with us most of time from a previous relationship. And this is, and I said, this is gonna help tremendously with all of everything. Yes. So Laura let me try to answer the question. We're happy with what we've seen come out of the House and the Senate, you know, never get everything you want. But I think they're, they're too good documents, um, to, to move forward on and, you know, programs that are very important to us have been preserved in there as far as in regard to the different approaches that each is taking in regard to education. We're still looking at that next question is from Jim province at the Toledo Blade. Hi, congratulations again to Jonathan and Zoe. And, and my question is for both of them, um, have either review, known somebody personally who has come down with Covid. And if so, did that play a role in your decision to be vaccinated shelf and you want to go first? Yes, sir. Um, Yes. My sister and her husband, both who were living in California time had came down with Covid as long as well as his father who passed uh from covid. And uh she was on me a lot to go and get the vaccination and that played a very significant role in getting it Joey. Um Actually I believe in um I forget what time was, it was like a while ago. I actually had it and it was just like, I feel like it was honestly the most sick I've ever been, but obviously came out of it and I do think that it played like a significant role in my decision to get the vaccination because like it was like if I can somehow like guarantee that I'll never feel this way again or like um my family won't have to feel this way again. Like I felt like I would definitely take it. And so I did get the vaccine. Zoe. Were you confirmed as having coven? Yes. Thank you. Next question is from uh, leah Williamson at W. D. TN. In Dayton. Well, good morning congrats to Jonathan and Zoe. My question is for the governor. Governor dewine as outside opens up and more people are getting vaccinated where unfortunately seeing some instances in the media and the news of bad behavior. Um, a lot of fighting and you know, unruly behavior, including gun violence similar to the tragedy yesterday in Springfield was wondering if you have an update on the Springfield situation and or comment to islands about this newfound freedom? Well, no, I don't. You know, we are seeing some, uh, examples that, you know, we see on tv the fights and airplanes and things, things like that. Um, you know, a someone more learned than I am would have to explain human human behavior. But certainly people have been cooped up for 15 months and you know, there's, it has altered what they've done, it's altered who they've been in contact with. People have been isolated more. So I'm sure there's a lot of consequences that will naturally flow from that that, you know, psychologists could explain or even a sociologist could explain. Um, so I don't know that I have any particular comment about it. Um, you know what we saw, you mentioned Springfield, you know, we just are seeing and have been seeing and I've highlighted on my press conference as many times violence generally in our cities and many times these are individuals who are repeat violent offenders. There are people who, you know the lawyers, the terminology is you know, they're under disability, which simply means not disability that we normally think, but under disability that they cannot have a gun. And a bill that we have presented to the General Assembly would absolutely target those individuals. Um, you know, it's tragic when you see anyone killed in these fights or anyone injured. I think it takes on a particular significance when you see innocent victims. And we do see that many times that they're innocent victims, sometimes Children who get shot. And because of these individuals. So this is, uh, really about criminals. It's about repeat criminals. It's about getting those individuals and frankly removing them from society. So what our bill does is it would give the police more ability to get the prosecutors more ability. And ultimately, it gives the judge, in his or her discretion the opportunity to determine what that sentence might be. And so it increases the potential sentence doesn't tell the judge he has to do it or she has to do it, but gives them that option based on the circumstances. So that's something that I hope the General Assembly will look at. And, uh, we'll be able to get past and it won't limit all the shooting and all the all the violence. But, uh, when you talk to Chiefs of Police, what they tell you is that there is generally a handful of people, relatively small number of the criminal element that does the violence. They're the ones that commit the violence. Small number of people and targeting them is something that we just need to do. Uh, if we're going to preserve, um, order and safety and people can be able to live in their homes and be safe. Thank you. Thank you. Next question is from Andy chow at Ohio public radio and television and the governor, uh, congratulations to the winners. My question is also for the governor, when we're talking about trying to increase the vaccination rate for people in their twenties thirties, forties. These are people who are usually at a lower risk of getting a bad case of covid at this point. The process. If they haven't gotten vaccinated, they might be thinking, why should I? It's not a big threat to me. How do you change their minds? How do you convince them? Why should they get vaccinated? Well, Andy, I think about that every day. So we continue to work on work on that. Uh, Dr Vanderhof is off on here and you might comment a little bit about spread among this group of people. Maybe also comment about risk that is there. It certainly is less of a risk. Uh, but there is still a risk uh, for for people and uh doctor, if you have any comments about Andy's question, yes. Thank you governor. You're absolutely right. Covid remains a very real danger to every unvaccinated Ohio. And regardless of age, you know, from the statistics you share just a little bit ago. It's important for us to remember that we've had more than a million cases on the 60,000 hospitalizations and almost 20,000 deaths. Plus as we think about the younger group, according to the american Academy of Pediatrics, Covid has infected not only millions of Children and put thousands into hospitals. Covid is now the number one are not number one, but one of the top 10 causes of death for Children in the United States, which is really staggering. I think we often think of Covid as relatively benign for Children, but we now rank it among the top 10 causes of pediatric death. And we know, and you've said this repeatedly here this morning in another press conferences. Look, vaccination is our best protection against Covid. And so, you know, if we're able, we really owe it not just to ourselves and we do owe it to ourselves, but to all those we care about, including those who are not fortunate enough to be able to be vaccinated for us to protect them by getting vaccinated. Because think about it, we have all the Children less than 12 who still remain vulnerable to this virus. We can protect them by getting vaccinated. So I think that, uh, while it is true that younger Ohioans may not have the level of risk that older Ohioans have. They're not out of the woods. And bad things can happen to people of any age due to covid. Yeah, Dr van halt that. That is a shocking statistic. Um, you know, we usually look at things in life relative to other things. And so when people look at risk, certainly the older you are, the higher the risk we we based when we didn't have enough vaccine, we based our who got it based upon on that. But your statement that now among Children, uh, you know, in the top 10 list of causes of death is covid is really, I think a sobering sobering thought. And I would just say that is people are making their own decisions. People having kids in daycare, kids will be in school, it might be in summer school and maybe all kinds of things. But when people are back inside, um, you know, there is a significant still is a very significant risk of spread. So decisions about whether more masked decisions about how often they wash their hands, decisions about how careful they are. You know, we do have a group of people who cannot be vaccinated yet. Uh, and they can't get it. Uh, you know, under 12 cannot, cannot get it. So uh cannot be vaccinated. So again, as I think we all go about our individual lives knowing that there is a group out there. That it's not a question that they refused to get vaccinated or didn't want to get vaccinated or made their own choice. They have not had the opportunity to make that choice nor have their parents. So it is a group of people that I think we should, we should certainly worry worry about and respect governor. Next question is the last question for today belongs to louis while latino tv. Hello governor, thank you for having me. Thank you. Congratulations Jonathan Zoe. My question is to them, have you had a chance to talk to friends or family members that they had decided well nonsense you're a winner. And uh and I'm going to get vaccinated. Have I'm gonna try to get this done now because I have a friend, that one Jonathan in the short time that you've been digesting this, if you talk to any, any family members that have decided they wanted to get vaccinated alright, as friends are embellished, I have, I've talked to them, but I have heard much from anyone else. I think most of everything, everything I've had is congratulatory. Uh beyond that, I'm hoping they take my advice and get vaccinated. But yes, that's about all I've heard so far, Zoe. Um my experience has kind of been similar to Jonathan's like, it's mostly been like, congratulations, like proud of you. But um yeah, I haven't really had anyone like say they're going to get back to it as a result of this. A lot of my family just wants to in general. Right, okay, well that was the last question. Zoe thank you very much for being on, and Jonathan thank you for being on. We appreciate it very, very much. We hope you both have a good day and everyone else has a good day. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Mm.
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Coronavirus latest: 1,106,411 cases in Ohio; 461,717 in Kentucky; 748,654 in Indiana
The COVID-19 outbreak is continuing to change everyday life for millions of Americans. Leaders across the county, including the Tri-State area, are providing daily updates on confirmed cases, deaths and vaccination efforts.Here, you can get the latest information on the coronavirus in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana as well as resources to be prepared and keep your family safe.LATEST CASE NUMBERS: Ohio, 1,106,411, 20,091 deaths | Kentucky 461,717 cases, 7,138 deaths | Indiana, 748,654 cases, 13,295 deathsEducational resources: CLICK HERE to access online learning resourcesCORONAVIRUS IN OHIOA highly contagious coronavirus variant first detected in India is now in Ohio, raising fears of a new wave of infection.The B.1.617.2 strain, better known as the Delta variant, is popping up across the country.Currently, it has been found only in small numbers in Ohio. But health officials say that will almost certainly change as it continues to spread.“It is more contagious than the original strain, though it’s not likely to be more severe. The good news is that the vaccines that we have appear to protect people against even the Delta variant,” Ohio Department of Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff,Speaking during a Thursday morning press briefing, Vanderhoff said the variant currently accounts for more than 6% of all infections in the United States.Although that number is relatively low, health officials say the speed of its spread is worrying. About one month ago, the strain accounted for around 1% of virus samples.“Out west, those numbers are even higher. So far here in Ohio, though, we’re really only seeing a fraction of a percent, in terms of our total mix,” Vanderhoff said.“But I would fully expect that that would rise. If you look at the U.K., it is appearing to rapidly overtake B117.”The variant was the dominant strain not only in India but also in the United Kingdom, health officials said.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the White House, has urged local and national officials to reenergize vaccination efforts, saying the transmissibility of the variant should prompt any eligible American to get vaccinated quickly.“Bottom line, is vaccination. It’s the way out of the pandemic. It’s our best protection, including against the Delta variant," Vanderhoff said.About 5.4 million people in Ohio have received at least one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or about 46% of the population. About 4.8 million people, or 41% of the population, have completed the process.CORONAVIRUS IN KENTUCKYAt the stroke of midnight, most of Kentucky's COVID-19 restrictions will disappear.After more than a year and a half of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, most of the state's virus orders – including its mask mandate – will come to an end on Friday.Masks will no longer be required in most locations, although unvaccinated people are still encouraged to wear them.Masks will still be required on public transportation, schools, long-term care facilities and other locations that serve the “most vulnerable,” Gov. Andy Beshear said.Kentucky followed CDC guidance last month, no longer requiring fully-vaccinated people to wear masks. But the governor said he wanted to wait a few weeks to lift restrictions so children between 12 and 15 years old had time to get their COVID-19 vaccine.Additionally -- starting Friday -- Kentucky’s coronavirus-related capacity restrictions will come to an end."After a long, dark pandemic, more of our people have gotten their shot of hope, and we have steadily moved to lift the last remaining restrictions put in place to slow the spread of this dangerous virus and save lives,” Beshear said. “Team Kentucky: your patience, hard work and sacrifices have paid off. For those not vaccinated: you still have time.”Also happening Friday, Kentucky's senior centers will reopen at full capacity.The increasing number of vaccinations makes it safe to let Kentuckians gather once again at senior centers, the governor said at a news conference.“These things are miracles,” Beshear said of the vaccinations. “They have effectively ended death and hospitalization for the most vulnerable. They are saving lives every single day. And we’ve got to make sure more people get them.”People entering senior centers will be required to follow county-level mask guidance, he said.Closing Kentucky’s nearly 200 senior centers for more than a year amid the pandemic “was a hard thing to do, but it was the right thing to do,” the governor said. The virus ravaged Kentucky’s older population, but now more than 80% of Kentuckians 65 and older have been vaccinated.As of Wednesday afternoon, the number of Kentuckians vaccinated against COVID-19 approached 2.1 million.The governor recently announced the state is offering $1 million prizes and college scholarships in hopes of enticing more people to get the shots. Three Kentucky adults will win $1 million prizes and 15 students ages 12 to 17 will be awarded full-ride scholarships to a Kentucky public university, college, technical or trade school.The offer is available to Kentucky residents already vaccinated and those who decide to get the vaccine before the drawings.CORONAVIRUS IN INDIANAThe Indiana Department of Health announced Friday that 314 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at state and private laboratories. That brings to 748,654 the number of Indiana residents now known to have had the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s dashboard.To date, 13,295 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of four from the previous day. Another 419 probable deaths have been reported to date based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record. A total of 3,536,566 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 3,533,954 on Thursday. A total of 10,624,243 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the state Department of Health since Feb. 26, 2020.As of Friday, a total of 5,367,723 doses have been administered in Indiana. This includes 2,717,282 first doses and 2,650,441 individuals who are fully vaccinated. The fully vaccinated number represents individuals who have received a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and those who received the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine.Please click here for an updated county advisory map, hospitalizations and other information.Symptoms:According to the CDC, the following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure: Fever, cough and shortness of breath.Emergency warning signs include:Difficulty breathing or shortness of breathPersistent pain or pressure in the chestNew confusion or inability to arouseBluish lips or face*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.This chart from Prospect Pediatrics compares COVID-19 symptoms to the cold and flu:Resources: - Ohio coronavirus hotline: 833-427-5634- Kentucky coronavirus hotline: (800) 722-5725- Indiana general questions can be directed to the ISDH Epidemiology Resource Center at 317-233-7125 (317-233-1325 after hours) or e-mail epiresource@isdh.in.gov.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websiteWhat to do if you think you have it:Officials have urged people to be conscious not to overwhelm the health care system. This graphic will help you decide when it is time to see a physician. Helpful tips and guides: → Here's what you should do if you already have the coronavirus → Dealing with stress, anxiety during coronavirus outbreak→ These viral social media coronavirus posts are FALSE→ How long should you wash your hands to avoid the coronavirus?→ Guidance for self isolation and home quarantine→ How to clean your car for coronavirus→ A guide to keeping your child safe and reassured as coronavirus spreads→ This map tracks the coronavirus in real time→ How to work from home without losing your sanity

The COVID-19 outbreak is continuing to change everyday life for millions of Americans. Leaders across the county, including the Tri-State area, are providing daily updates on confirmed cases, deaths and vaccination efforts.

Here, you can get the latest information on the coronavirus in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana as well as resources to be prepared and keep your family safe.

Advertisement

LATEST CASE NUMBERS: Ohio, 1,106,411, 20,091 deaths | Kentucky 461,717 cases, 7,138 deaths | Indiana, 748,654 cases, 13,295 deaths

Educational resources: CLICK HERE to access online learning resources

CORONAVIRUS IN OHIO

A highly contagious coronavirus variant first detected in India is now in Ohio, raising fears of a new wave of infection.

The B.1.617.2 strain, better known as the Delta variant, is popping up across the country.

Currently, it has been found only in small numbers in Ohio. But health officials say that will almost certainly change as it continues to spread.

“It is more contagious than the original strain, though it’s not likely to be more severe. The good news is that the vaccines that we have appear to protect people against even the Delta variant,” Ohio Department of Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff,

Speaking during a Thursday morning press briefing, Vanderhoff said the variant currently accounts for more than 6% of all infections in the United States.

Although that number is relatively low, health officials say the speed of its spread is worrying. About one month ago, the strain accounted for around 1% of virus samples.

“Out west, those numbers are even higher. So far here in Ohio, though, we’re really only seeing a fraction of a percent, in terms of our total mix,” Vanderhoff said.

“But I would fully expect that that would rise. If you look at the U.K., it is appearing to rapidly overtake B117.”

The variant was the dominant strain not only in India but also in the United Kingdom, health officials said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the White House, has urged local and national officials to reenergize vaccination efforts, saying the transmissibility of the variant should prompt any eligible American to get vaccinated quickly.

“Bottom line, is vaccination. It’s the way out of the pandemic. It’s our best protection, including against the Delta variant," Vanderhoff said.

About 5.4 million people in Ohio have received at least one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or about 46% of the population. About 4.8 million people, or 41% of the population, have completed the process.

CORONAVIRUS IN KENTUCKY

At the stroke of midnight, most of Kentucky's COVID-19 restrictions will disappear.

After more than a year and a half of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, most of the state's virus orders – including its mask mandate – will come to an end on Friday.

Masks will no longer be required in most locations, although unvaccinated people are still encouraged to wear them.

Masks will still be required on public transportation, schools, long-term care facilities and other locations that serve the “most vulnerable,” Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Kentucky followed CDC guidance last month, no longer requiring fully-vaccinated people to wear masks. But the governor said he wanted to wait a few weeks to lift restrictions so children between 12 and 15 years old had time to get their COVID-19 vaccine.

Additionally -- starting Friday -- Kentucky’s coronavirus-related capacity restrictions will come to an end.

"After a long, dark pandemic, more of our people have gotten their shot of hope, and we have steadily moved to lift the last remaining restrictions put in place to slow the spread of this dangerous virus and save lives,” Beshear said. “Team Kentucky: your patience, hard work and sacrifices have paid off. For those not vaccinated: you still have time.”

Also happening Friday, Kentucky's senior centers will reopen at full capacity.

The increasing number of vaccinations makes it safe to let Kentuckians gather once again at senior centers, the governor said at a news conference.

“These things are miracles,” Beshear said of the vaccinations. “They have effectively ended death and hospitalization for the most vulnerable. They are saving lives every single day. And we’ve got to make sure more people get them.”

People entering senior centers will be required to follow county-level mask guidance, he said.

Closing Kentucky’s nearly 200 senior centers for more than a year amid the pandemic “was a hard thing to do, but it was the right thing to do,” the governor said. The virus ravaged Kentucky’s older population, but now more than 80% of Kentuckians 65 and older have been vaccinated.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the number of Kentuckians vaccinated against COVID-19 approached 2.1 million.

The governor recently announced the state is offering $1 million prizes and college scholarships in hopes of enticing more people to get the shots. Three Kentucky adults will win $1 million prizes and 15 students ages 12 to 17 will be awarded full-ride scholarships to a Kentucky public university, college, technical or trade school.

The offer is available to Kentucky residents already vaccinated and those who decide to get the vaccine before the drawings.

CORONAVIRUS IN INDIANA

The Indiana Department of Health announced Friday that 314 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at state and private laboratories. That brings to 748,654 the number of Indiana residents now known to have had the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s dashboard.

To date, 13,295 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of four from the previous day. Another 419 probable deaths have been reported to date based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record.

A total of 3,536,566 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 3,533,954 on Thursday. A total of 10,624,243 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the state Department of Health since Feb. 26, 2020.

As of Friday, a total of 5,367,723 doses have been administered in Indiana. This includes 2,717,282 first doses and 2,650,441 individuals who are fully vaccinated. The fully vaccinated number represents individuals who have received a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and those who received the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Please click here for an updated county advisory map, hospitalizations and other information.

Symptoms:

According to the CDC, the following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure: Fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Emergency warning signs include:

  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New confusion or inability to arouse
  • Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

This chart from Prospect Pediatrics compares COVID-19 symptoms to the cold and flu:

Resources:

- Ohio coronavirus hotline: 833-427-5634

- Kentucky coronavirus hotline: (800) 722-5725

- Indiana general questions can be directed to the ISDH Epidemiology Resource Center at 317-233-7125 (317-233-1325 after hours) or e-mail epiresource@isdh.in.gov.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website

What to do if you think you have it:

Officials have urged people to be conscious not to overwhelm the health care system. This graphic will help you decide when it is time to see a physician.

Helpful tips and guides:

→ Here's what you should do if you already have the coronavirus

Dealing with stress, anxiety during coronavirus outbreak

These viral social media coronavirus posts are FALSE

How long should you wash your hands to avoid the coronavirus?

Guidance for self isolation and home quarantine

How to clean your car for coronavirus

A guide to keeping your child safe and reassured as coronavirus spreads

This map tracks the coronavirus in real time

How to work from home without losing your sanity