Gov. Mike DeWine Sends Plea To FDA, Ohio Manufacturers And Citizens; Coronavirus Update, March 28, 2020
While the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ohio – and around the world – continues to climb as expected, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s daily update on the pandemic became a plea for help from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state’s manufacturers and citizens.
Battelle Memorial Institute, a private nonprofit science and technology company based in Columbus, has developed a method for sterilizing masks so healthcare workers can continue reuse the personal protective equipment (PPE) safely. The procedure is awaiting FDA approval, DeWine said.
“I want to make a public appeal to the FDA to please, please give us the approval,” DeWine said. “We have nurses, we have doctors, we have people working in nursing homes who need the masks.”
“It really is truly a matter of life and death,” he said.
According to DeWine, Battelle expects to be able to sterilize 80,000 masks per day, per machine and is looking to have two machines running in Ohio as well as send machines to Seattle, New York City and Washington, D.C.
DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton also made a plea to the state’s manufactures and residents for PPE and other medical equipment.
“These are the items that we need. These are the items we need help with. These are in no particular order… our top 10 most wanted,” said DeWine as he and Acton held up a poster with the list, which includes:
- Surgical gowns in all sizes
- Face and surgical masks
- Gloves (nitrile, vinyl or butyl)
- N95 particulate respirators
- Isolation gowns
- Face shields
- Tyvek coveralls
- Thermometers
- Foot coverings
- Ventilator tubing
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ohio rose to 1,406 cases and the state has seen 25 deaths from the virus or related complications as of Saturday afternoon, Acton reported. Of the cases, 24 percent have been hospitalized with 9 percent in the ICU, she said.
Draft hospital plans from the state's eight regions began to come in to the governor's office Saturday. The goal is for each region's hospitals to collaborate to ensure that sick patients have a place to go to get tested and know where to go for different levels of treatments, if needed, as well as a plan for facilities to handle other patients in need of routine procedures like childbirth.
The Ohio National Guard will oversee putting each region's plans in place.
This is is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
