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 measures taking to curb the spread of the virus. 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, 510,018, 7,103 deaths | Kentucky, 205,668, 2,102 deaths | Indiana, 398,417, 6,207 deathsEducational resources: CLICK HERE to access online learning resourcesCORONAVIRUS IN OHIOOhio reported a spike in daily COVID-19 cases Tuesday, likely due to a backlog in antigen tests, according to Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine.The Ohio Department of Health reported 25,751 additional coronavirus cases on Tuesday, clearing a backlog of pending files that dated back to Nov. 1.Included in the reported cases for Tuesday are the results from approximately 13,000 that were part of the report backlog. The onset dates for these cases have been backfilled and appropriately recorded, health officials said.The note about pending files has been removed from the website.“After understanding more about antigen tests, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed their case definition in August allowing antigen tests to be included in case counts without additional verification,” said ODH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. “ODH is now aligned with CDC’s current definition and we will begin reflecting those tests immediately in our daily reported case counts moving forward.”Speaking during a Monday afternoon news briefing, the governor said the state will begin reporting antigen test results on Tuesday.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed their COVID-19 case definition in August, allowing antigen tests to be included in case counts without additional verification. However, here in Ohio, state health officials continued to manually verify those exposures and other symptoms before counting these tests as positive.”During the past two months, our cases have skyrocketed. Also, we have been averaging 12,500 antigen tests per day with more positive results from those tests — more than 700 a day on average,” the governor said Monday.During the past four weeks, the volume of antigen tests has doubled and the positive results, which need to be reviewed at the state and local level, have increased from approximately 332 to 725, the governor said.This has created a major strain on state health officials.”Our Ohio Department of Health and epidemiologist teams alerted us about three weeks ago that they are no longer able to keep up with the manual verification process for antigen tests because there is such widespread of the virus in the state,” DeWine said. “Today, I am announcing we will align with the CDC’s current case definition starting tomorrow, Dec. 8. We will begin reflecting those tests immediately in our daily reported case counts moving forward.”All of the backlogged cases will not necessarily translate to new cases, the governor said. They will be checked, and duplicate records will be removed.”To address those cases in our pending queue, we will apply this updated case definition to positive antigen tests dating back to Nov. 1,” the governor said. “Tomorrow, we will clear those backlogged antigen tests, and they will be added to our reported case counts. That will result in a one-day spike in reported cases tomorrow. These cases will be assigned to their appropriate onset date.”State health officials will also add theses results to its positivity calculation in the coming weeks.CORONAVIRUS IN KENTUCKYAs Kentucky continues to wrestle with a pandemic that has killed more than 2,000 residents, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that hospitals in many parts of state are nearing full capacity, and warned that it could make it more difficult for people to receive proper treatment.“Hospital capacity in many ways doesn’t care about ‘why’ you’re there,” he said. “We need an ICU bed open for any individual that might need one.”The Democratic governor announced that hospital capacity for inpatient beds, ICU beds, or ventilators is at or above 80% in four parts of the state. ICU capacity in two zones, one along the Tennessee border, and one in eastern Kentucky, is over 90%. Beshear added that he does not anticipate that the state will run out of ventilators.Hospitalizations are up roughly 17% since the beginning of November, and Kentucky has averaged around 3,300 new cases per day in the past week alone, according to data released by the governor’s office.Hospitals throughout the states have raced to keep up with the surge of new cases. A University of Kentucky hospital has closed five of its operating rooms to increase capacity for COVID-19 patients, while another in northeastern Kentucky has resorted to using its lobby as an overflow area for the emergency room. The CEO of Pikeville Medical Center, a hospital located in southeastern Kentucky, has warned that the hospital is nearing ICU capacity and at risk of forgoing elective procedures.Kentucky on Tuesday reported 3,114 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 20 new virus-related deaths. Roughly 1,760 people are currently hospitalized, including 416 people in intensive care units and 207 on ventilators.The state’s test positivity rate is 9.56%, down slightly from Monday. The positivity rate is an indicator of the extent of the spread of the virus, according to the World Health Organization. If the rate is less than 5% for two weeks and testing is widespread, the virus is considered under control.For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. The vast majority of people recover.CORONAVIRUS IN INDIANAThe Indiana Department of Health announced Wednesday that 5,853 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19. That brings the number of Indiana residents now known to have had the novel coronavirus to 398,417 following corrections to the previous day’s dashboard.A total of 6,207 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 98 from the previous day. Another 299 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by the state and occurred over multiple days. To date, 2,352,854 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 2,338,308 on Tuesday. A total of 4,706,966 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the state Department of Health since Feb. 26.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
CINCINNATI —
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 measures taking to curb the spread of the virus.
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, 510,018, 7,103 deaths | Kentucky, 205,668, 2,102 deaths | Indiana, 398,417, 6,207 deaths
Educational resources: CLICK HERE to access online learning resources
CORONAVIRUS IN OHIO
Ohio reported a spike in daily COVID-19 cases Tuesday, likely due to a backlog in antigen tests, according to Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine.
The Ohio Department of Health reported 25,751 additional coronavirus cases on Tuesday, clearing a backlog of pending files that dated back to Nov. 1.
Included in the reported cases for Tuesday are the results from approximately 13,000 that were part of the report backlog. The onset dates for these cases have been backfilled and appropriately recorded, health officials said.
The note about pending files has been removed from the website.
“After understanding more about antigen tests, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed their case definition in August allowing antigen tests to be included in case counts without additional verification,” said ODH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. “ODH is now aligned with CDC’s current definition and we will begin reflecting those tests immediately in our daily reported case counts moving forward.”
Speaking during a Monday afternoon news briefing, the governor said the state will begin reporting antigen test results on Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed their COVID-19 case definition in August, allowing antigen tests to be included in case counts without additional verification. However, here in Ohio, state health officials continued to manually verify those exposures and other symptoms before counting these tests as positive.
“During the past two months, our cases have skyrocketed. Also, we have been averaging 12,500 antigen tests per day with more positive results from those tests — more than 700 a day on average,” the governor said Monday.
During the past four weeks, the volume of antigen tests has doubled and the positive results, which need to be reviewed at the state and local level, have increased from approximately 332 to 725, the governor said.
This has created a major strain on state health officials.
“Our Ohio Department of Health and epidemiologist teams alerted us about three weeks ago that they are no longer able to keep up with the manual verification process for antigen tests because there is such widespread of the virus in the state,” DeWine said. “Today, I am announcing we will align with the CDC’s current case definition starting tomorrow, Dec. 8. We will begin reflecting those tests immediately in our daily reported case counts moving forward.”
All of the backlogged cases will not necessarily translate to new cases, the governor said. They will be checked, and duplicate records will be removed.
“To address those cases in our pending queue, we will apply this updated case definition to positive antigen tests dating back to Nov. 1,” the governor said. “Tomorrow, we will clear those backlogged antigen tests, and they will be added to our reported case counts. That will result in a one-day spike in reported cases tomorrow. These cases will be assigned to their appropriate onset date.”
State health officials will also add theses results to its positivity calculation in the coming weeks.
CORONAVIRUS IN KENTUCKY
As Kentucky continues to wrestle with a pandemic that has killed more than 2,000 residents, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that hospitals in many parts of state are nearing full capacity, and warned that it could make it more difficult for people to receive proper treatment.
“Hospital capacity in many ways doesn’t care about ‘why’ you’re there,” he said. “We need an ICU bed open for any individual that might need one.”
The Democratic governor announced that hospital capacity for inpatient beds, ICU beds, or ventilators is at or above 80% in four parts of the state. ICU capacity in two zones, one along the Tennessee border, and one in eastern Kentucky, is over 90%. Beshear added that he does not anticipate that the state will run out of ventilators.
Hospitalizations are up roughly 17% since the beginning of November, and Kentucky has averaged around 3,300 new cases per day in the past week alone, according to data released by the governor’s office.
Hospitals throughout the states have raced to keep up with the surge of new cases. A University of Kentucky hospital has closed five of its operating rooms to increase capacity for COVID-19 patients, while another in northeastern Kentucky has resorted to using its lobby as an overflow area for the emergency room. The CEO of Pikeville Medical Center, a hospital located in southeastern Kentucky, has warned that the hospital is nearing ICU capacity and at risk of forgoing elective procedures.
Kentucky on Tuesday reported 3,114 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 20 new virus-related deaths. Roughly 1,760 people are currently hospitalized, including 416 people in intensive care units and 207 on ventilators.
The state’s test positivity rate is 9.56%, down slightly from Monday. The positivity rate is an indicator of the extent of the spread of the virus, according to the World Health Organization. If the rate is less than 5% for two weeks and testing is widespread, the virus is considered under control.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. The vast majority of people recover.
CORONAVIRUS IN INDIANA
The Indiana Department of Health announced Wednesday that 5,853 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
That brings the number of Indiana residents now known to have had the novel coronavirus to 398,417 following corrections to the previous day’s dashboard.
A total of 6,207 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 98 from the previous day. Another 299 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by the state and occurred over multiple days.
To date, 2,352,854 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 2,338,308 on Tuesday. A total of 4,706,966 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the state Department of Health since Feb. 26.
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