5 things to know about the coronavirus today: Quarantine times and vaccine shipments

It is Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 and these are five things to know about the coronavirus pandemic today.

Ohio lawmaker tested positive after working at statehouse this week

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 Friday

More than 10,000 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Ohio on Friday, making it the first time the state has received so many case reports since the day after Thanksgiving, when two days’ cases were reported at once. This is the fourth-highest number of daily cases the state has reported.

OSU gets the nod for Michigan State game

One week after having to cancel their game against Illinois, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been given the all-clear to travel to East Lansing to play football against Michigan State on Saturday. OSU has seen two games canceled dur to the coronavirus, with the game against Maryland canceled due to cases in the Terrapins program and the Illinois game canceled after head coach Ryan Day and others tested positive.

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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