The Ohio Department of Health reported 685 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest number of cases reported since Sept. 8. The state鈥檚 21-day average continues to stay around 1,000 cases, with a slight downward trend.
On Tuesday Ohio reported 145,850 total COVID-19 cases and 4,635 deaths. The state has had 14,899 hospitalizations and 3,210 ICU admissions.
At his coronavirus briefing Tuesday Gov. DeWine said the state is seeing a decline in its COVID-19 positivity rate, with a seven-day average positivity rate of 2.9%. The seven-day moving average of testing is 32,000 tests per day and growing, he said.
The state unveiled a tracking COVID-19 demographic case data by race and ethnicity. Residents can access demographic information on coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths by county and compare it to Ohio鈥檚 population as a whole.
鈥淭his dashboard helps better track health inequities and disparities,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his data can help put critical decisions into context for policymakers,鈥� he said.
The governor said improving data collection and reporting as well as creating a publicly available dashboard were recommendations that came out of the COVID-19 .
At the briefing, , an Ohio State University environmental engineer, spoke about droplets, aerosols and how COVID-19 spreads. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 guidelines on aerosol transmission have been a subject of controversy in the past week; the agency new guidance concerning the role of aerosols in the spread of COVID-19.
鈥淲e've known for a little while that aerosols are a component [in exposure]. But how important those aerosols are is the question,鈥� he said.
Transmission is less likely when outside because there is more space for aerosols to disperse, he said.
鈥淥utdoors is where you鈥檙e going to be able to get the absolute largest volume,鈥� he said. 鈥淧lus, you have all the other dynamics of things like UV exposure and being able to move around in a larger, more random pattern as well.鈥�
In addition to practices the public has already been encouraged to use, including mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing, there are engineering options to help prevent the spread of the virus through aerosols when indoors, he said. Indoor spaces can use ventilation systems to try to mimic outdoor features and reduce the spread of the virus. Businesses should consult with licensed HVAC technicians or engineers to find the best ventilation options for the buildings they use, he advised.
In reference to the Gov. DeWine attended on Monday, in which over 1,000 Trump supporters gathered, the governor said it was 鈥渢oo bad鈥� that many did not follow guidance on wearing a mask. But he said he has been consistent in how he handles issues related to the First Amendment. He compared his approach to political demonstrations with how he has addressed churches during the pandemic, by encouraging mask wearing but never issuing an order to close churches.
鈥淲e've made it very clear that if you're exercising your First Amendment rights, we're not going to have a health order that prohibits you from exercising your First Amendment rights,鈥� he said.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted, who spoke at the Trump event, said he tried to encourage people to wear masks 鈥渕uch to my own peril.鈥� During Husted鈥檚 speech the crowd booed as he spoke about wearing face coverings and showed various Trump-branded masks.
鈥淭he people of this state are making this work. It's not perfect. Yesterday certainly wasn鈥檛,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut by and large, the people of Ohio are getting it right and I tried to set a good example in what I did.鈥�
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