Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, September 3:
- COVID-19 outbreak hits Miami University of Ohio
- Kent State forms anti-racism task force
- Fox’s Wallace to moderate Cleveland Trump-Biden debate
- Ohio tops 125K COVID-19 cases
- Pandemic hits Greater Cleveland economy hard
- Cleveland VA joins COVID-19 vaccine trial
COVID-19 outbreak hits Miami of Ohio
Miami University in Oxford is having a hard time controlling COVID-19 outbreaks. The school says there have been more than 500 cases on campus, mostly among students. Miami is now requiring everyone to be tested for the virus before the start of in-person classes, set to begin Sept. 21. In addition, each day, a select group of students will get an email requiring that they schedule a COVID test.
Kent State forms anti-racism task force
Kent State University is responding to racist messages painted on the giant rock at the front of campus this past week by forming a new anti-racism task force. In an email to the Kent campus community, President Todd Diacon says the group will work to identify institutional and individual racism in all its forms, and to forge a clear plan of action. Subcommittees made up of the campus community will also study every aspect of university life, including academic, accessibility, admissions and faculty recruitment. It will be monitored by the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with recommendations to come.
Fox’s Wallace to moderate Cleveland Trump-Biden debate
The first presidential debate later this month in Cleveland will be moderated by Fox News host Chris Wallace. The 90 minute debate is Sept. 29 at the Eric and Sheila Samson Pavilion, jointly hosted by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic, where Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden will square off for the first time on stage. So far, debate organizers haven’t released detailed plans for the debate, such as crowd size and security.
Ohio tops 125K COVID-19 cases
Ohio topped a total of 125,000 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with another 1,100 positive tests. The average positive test rate for Ohioans over the previous seven days rose to 4.5% Monday. More than 2.28 million COVID-19 tests have been administered in the state since the pandemic hit Ohio in March.
Pandemic hits Greater Cleveland economy hard
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Greater Cleveland’s economy with a force. A new study by Cleveland State University shows just three of 40 largest Metro areas, New York, Las Vegas and Boston, have done worse in terms of job losses than Cleveland. The five-county Cleveland metro area was down an estimated 130,000 jobs in July from the same month a year ago. That's a 12% decline. The accommodation and food services industries lead the way with a decline of nearly 29,000 jobs.
Cleveland VA joins COVID-19 vaccine trial
The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center is joining a COVID-19 vaccine trial developed by Pfizer and a German biotech company. The Cleveland VA and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center will enroll healthy adults ages 18-85 who are at risk for contracting COVID-19. In Cleveland, priority will be given to veterans. It's a three-phase trial, an equal number of participants will get the vaccine and placebo. University Hospitals has already committed to taking part.
