Coronavirus

Credit Tony Dejak / Associated Press

Find WOSU's latest coverage on the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, below.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided a list of answers to frequently asked questions about the coronavirus. Here are the latest numbers on the outbreak in the United States.

  • The Ohio Department of Health is providing daily updates of the number of confirmed and suspected coronavirus cases in Ohio. Find those numbers here.
  • Ohio's coronavirus call center is open to answer questions from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The hotline number is 1-833-4-ASK-ODH or 1-833-427-5634. More information is available at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
  • Has your job been impacted by the coronavirus? You may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Visit unemployment.ohio.gov to learn more and apply.
  • The city of Columbus The City has compiled a list of resources for human services, businesses, volunteer opportunities and online recreation options.

WOSU's Curious Cbus project wants to hear from Ohioans: What questions do you still have about COVID-19? What aspects of Ohio's response are you curious about?

_

Coronavirus In Ohio: Democratic House Members Furious About Handling Of Cases

By • Jul 10, 2020
KAREN KASLER / Ohio House

The Ohio House Speaker's office is reinstituting its work-from-home policy, after at least one House employee tested positive for COVID-19 and put on administrative leave. Some Democratic members are furious, saying they’ve been kept in the dark.

Coronavirus In Ohio: Face Masks Required In Five More Counties

By • Jul 10, 2020
Taylor Williams, left, and other shoppers what in line to enter a Traders Joes store, Monday, April 6, 2020, in Woodmere Village, Ohio. Only 25 customers are allowed in the store at one time.
Tony Dejak / Associated Press

The number of Ohio counties where masks are required in indoor business spaces and public places has gone up to 12, with one county falling off the initial list and five more being added.

Pandemic Ethics

By All Sides Staff • Jul 10, 2020
Registered Nurse Janice Tatonetti, right, takes the temperature of Harry Pearson before he votes in Ohio's primary election at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Tuesday, April 28, 2020, in Cleveland.
Tony Dejak / Associated Press

This episode originally aired on June 17, 2020.

The pandemic has heightened a host of ethical dilemmas, from medical decisions about which patient to save to social quandaries about mask-wearing etiquette.

As far back as the 14th century, people living through plagues and pandemics have sorted through modern versions of the same essential questions.

Coronavirus In Ohio: Restaurant And Bar Workers Say Economy Prioritized Over Health

By • Jul 10, 2020
Laurie Granger is a manager and bartender at a cocktail bar in the Short North.
Ash Gerlach / Courtesy of Two Truths

Columbus was logging about 80 new cases of COVID-19 per day when bars and restaurants were ordered to close across the state. Lately, the numbers have been more than double that.

Masks On

By • Jul 9, 2020
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wears a mask before his coronavirus press conference on June 23, 2020.
Office of Gov. Mike DeWine

In this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, host Mike Thompson discusses the collision of science and politics as Gov. Mike DeWine mandates wearing face masks in 12 counties with fast-rising COVID-19 cases.

'STOP GETTING TESTED' For Coronavirus, Ohio Politician Tells Constituents

By • Jul 9, 2020

Updated July 10 at 7:45 a.m. ET

Ohio state Rep. Nino Vitale is urging his constituents not to get tested for the coronavirus, flouting advice from health officials — and from another Republican lawmaker, Gov. Mike DeWine.

"This is what happens when people go crazy and get tested," Vitale wrote on Facebook this week. "STOP GETTING TESTED!"

Loosened Air Pollution Regulations Impact On COVID-19 Deaths

By All Sides Staff • Jul 9, 2020
chimney releasing smoke
JWVein / Pixabay

This episode originally aired on May 6, 2020.

The Trump administration has continued to weaken air pollution regulations despite warnings that long-term exposure to dirty air relates to higher COVID-19 death rates.

Harvard researchers made the first statistical link between the two last month, just before the administration loosened some clean air regulations and failed to tighten others.

Coronavirus In Ohio: Some Law Enforcement Say They Won't Enforce Mask Mandate

By • Jul 9, 2020
A customer at Global Gallery in Clintonville wears a face mask while seated in the coffee shop's outdoor patio.
Mary Rathke / WOSU

The question of enforcement remains unclear after Gov. Mike DeWine issued a requirement that people in seven hot-spot counties wear masks inside businesses and public places. The mandate took effect Wednesday night.

'Devastated': As Layoffs Keep Coming, Hopes Fade That Jobs Will Return Quickly

By • Jul 9, 2020

Updated at 8:44 a.m. ET

From airlines to paper mills, the job news is grim, and there are growing signs it won't be getting better anytime soon. On Thursday, the Labor Department reported nearly 2.4 million new applications for state and federal unemployment benefits last week.

When It Comes To Reopening Schools, 'The Devil's In The Details,' Educators Say

By • Jul 9, 2020

Jeanne Norris is a teacher, the wife of a teacher and the mother of an 8-year-old in St. Louis. She'd love to send her son back to school in August. But, she says, "I feel like my government and my fellow citizens have put me in a position where it's not really in the best interests of our family."

Norris has a long list of reasons why. She says she has taught in buildings where ventilation systems are outdated and malfunctioning, and even soap for hand-washing is in short supply.

Ohio State Halts Athletic Workouts Following COVID-19 Testing

By • Jul 8, 2020
A full crowd at Ohio Stadium.
The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University has suspended all voluntary athletic workouts on campus following a round of COVID-19 testing of students, the athletics department said in a statement Wednesday night. 

Rogue Online Pharmacies Marketing COVID-19 'Cures' Amid Pandemic

By • Jul 8, 2020

Ali Schroer was just out of college when she started her first teaching job, but her new insurance plan didn’t cover her allergy medication. 

"So this new allergist that I was seeing in Colorado had said, after several go arounds of me asking to take this medication, said, ‘Oh, well actually know that you can just get it online.”'

Hamilton Co. Leaders React To Mask Mandate: 'We Know We Won't Have Compliance'

By • Jul 8, 2020

Starting Wednesday at 6 p.m., people in Hamilton County must wear masks in public spaces to help slow the spread of COVID-19. 

'I Couldn't Believe My Eyes': International Students Blindsided By ICE Rule Change

By Max Larkin • Jul 8, 2020

Simge Topaloğlu was using group chats to commiserate with friends about the uncertainty of being an international student in America long before almost all of college life went remote in the spring.

As travel bans were made and modified under the Trump administration, the online rumor mill churned.

"Someone hears something through the grapevine, like: 'a friend of mine said this,' 'maybe this is going to happen,' " said Topaloğlu, who is entering her third year seeking her doctorate in psychology at Harvard University.

COVID-19 Testing Ramps Up In Southwest Ohio, But Notification Lags

By • Jul 8, 2020

The amount of COVID-19 testing in Hamilton County has climbed significantly. Interim Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman says by the end of Wednesday, about 6,000 people will have been tested at pop-up sites run by the Ohio National Guard alone. But the increase has overwhelmed other functions.

Pages