Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, January 12:
- COVID testing site opens in Canton
- 800,000 COVID test kits delayed
- Some unvaccinated Akron Children’s employees on unpaid leave
- Cleveland mayor urges vaccines, calls for state help
- OSU gets $3 million to develop broadband curriculum
- Cleveland officer killed during carjacking memorialized
COVID testing site opens in Canton
(WKSU) -- There are now 12 COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites operating in Ohio, including one that’s now open in Canton. Aultman and Cleveland Clinic Mercy hospitals are teaming with the Ohio National Guard in administering tests at the Stark County Fairgrounds. Appointments are required and can be made online. There are also sites that have opened in Mansfield and Zanesville. Testing also continues at Summa Health’s headquarters in Akron and at the W.O. Walker building in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood.
800,000 COVID test kits delayed
(Cleveland.com) -- The state says its shipment of COVID-19 testing kits has been delayed due to the high demand for tests nationwide. Cleveland.com reports the state health department is waiting on about 800,000 of the 1.2 million test kits ordered this month. A spokesperson for Gov. Mike DeWine told Cleveland.com that he doesn’t believe the tests will arrive by the end of the month. They’re given to public libraries and health departments to distribute.
Some unvaccinated Akron Children’s employees on unpaid leave
(Beacon Journal) -- Akron Children’s Hospital employees had until Tuesday to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, The Beacon Journal reports the hospital is placing an undisclosed number of those who haven’t complied on unpaid leave. A hospital spokeswoman said in a statement that they’re working with employees who have expressed in good faith their commitment to being fully vaccinated. Akron Children’s said in December that about 80% of its employees were fully vaccinated.
Cleveland mayor urges vaccines, calls for state help
(Ideastream Public Media) -- Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb on Tuesday urged more residents to get the coronavirus vaccine as hospitals handle a wave of largely unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. Bibb and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, both of whom took office last week, held a virtual news conference asking for more state help in obtaining COVID-19 tests and masks. About 45% of Clevelanders are fully vaccinated. Even fewer, about 17%, have gotten the booster. Bibb’s COVID-19 task force, which includes health leaders and elected officials from around Northeast Ohio, will hold its first meeting today. One charge of the task force will be finding new ways to encourage vaccination.
OSU gets $3 million to develop broadband curriculum
(WKSU) -- The state has awarded $3 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars to Ohio State University to develop broadband curriculum. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted says the move is part of the state’s investment in the growing broadband and 5G industry. Ohio State will partner with a nonprofit telecommunications group to develop a curriculum that will train people in the industry, from laying fiber-optic lines to installing wireless broadband. Husted said he anticipates that the curriculum will be available for various state institutions to use by next year.
Cleveland officer killed during carjacking memorialized
(AP) — The twin sister of a slain Cleveland police officer says she knew her brother wanted to be a cop as children while playing with walkie-talkies. Shane Bartek was memorialized Tuesday during a funeral service at Grace Church in the Cleveland suburb of Middleburg Heights. The 25-year-old Bartek was fatally shot Dec. 31 during a carjacking in the parking lot of an apartment building lot on Cleveland's west side. Summer Bartek says her brother was her idol. Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond says Bartek was a “true public servant” and the template for what Cleveland police officers should be.
