Ohio Rep. Rick Carfagna, a Delaware County Republican, tested positive on Friday for the coronavirus after he worked most of the week at the Statehouse, then woke up on Thursday with a fever, aches and a cough. Carfagna was last in the Statehouse on Wednesday, and has been wearing a mask while some Republican lawmakers have not. In a Facebook post, he urged people not to make coronavirus political and to follow public safety guidelines.
The CDC released new quarantine guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has offered new guidelines calling for fewer days in quarantine for those who may have been exposed to the virus but have no symptoms. The new guidance recommends a 10-day quarantine if the exposure did not require testing and there are no symptoms, and a seven-day quarantine if coronavirus test results are negative on day five or later and there are no symptoms.
More than 10,000 cases reported Saturday
Today marks the second day in a row that Ohio has reported more than 10,000 new cases. Hospitalizations rose by 286 today and the state reported 64 more deaths.
The Ohio Department of Health reported 10,469 new cases today. The current 21 day average for cases is 8,438. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 467,432 cases have been reported, alongside 28,959 hospitalizations, 4,870 intensive care unit admissions and 6,946 deaths.
How many cases are in your ZIP Code in Montgomery County?
As of Saturday, Montgomery County has reported 24,901 cases of COVID-19. The county moved up to the state’s highest alert level 4, or purple, on Nov. 25, meaning there is severe exposure and spread of COVID-19 in the area. As cases have continued to climb in Montgomery County, Public Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper warned that the county is seeing “rapid spread throughout all communities.”
Ohio releases vaccine update
Gov. Mike DeWine gave an update on Friday on plans for incoming coronavirus vaccines. The governor said that plans are still being finalized, but current plans expect to have a batch of vaccines arrive around Dec. 15. A total of 98,000 vaccines are expected, but DeWine warned that the federal government did not know for sure how many vaccines are coming until closer to when they are shipped.
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