Wednesday Update: Daily Death Numbers Are Up, Indoor Dining Starts Tomorrow

CANTON (News Talk 1480 WHBC) – After speaking the past two days, Governor DeWine did not hold a press conference this afternoon in Columbus. Nonetheless, here is the latest on COVID-19 in the state of Ohio.

Update on Cases

The Ohio Department of Health’s latest report shows deaths are up, while the rest of the daily figures are below the 21 day average. There are now 29,436 total cases of COVID-19 in Ohio. The state’s death toll is at 1,781. Close to 5,200 Ohioans have been hospitalized from the virus; 1,369 have been admitted into the intensive care unit.

More than 287,000 COVID-19 tests have been administered in Ohio, including 10,000+ in the past 24 hours. Ohio have a positive test rate of around 10.2%.

Update on Stark County

The state’s latest report shows another slow day in Stark County. Stark saw just 10 new cases and one new hospitalization. No deaths were reported in the county over the past 24 hours. Overall, Stark has a total of 620 cases, 133 hospitalizations and 79 deaths.

More info Coming on Minority Strike Force

The coronavirus has disproportionately affected African Americans in Ohio. Governor Mike DeWine assembled a Minority Health Strike Force to address this problem over a month ago. DeWine says he’ll be talking more in-depth about that task force on Thursday and what can be done to help populations who are being hit hard by COVID-19.

Outdoor Dining Starts Tomorrow!

After allowing bars and restaurants to reopen and offer outdoor dining on Friday, May 15, the state will allow dining establishments to offer indoor service starting tomorrow morning. This decision comes after indoor dining has been prohibited for over two months in Ohio. WHBC will have more coverage on this significant reopening in the coming days.