Figures released today by the state show that 65 Ohioans have now died from COVID-19 and 679 people have been hospitalized.

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The coronavirus continues its relentless rise in Ohio — advancing toward a projected peak later this month — prompting state leaders on Wednesday to take steps to speed up testing and seek a pause in small-business evictions and property foreclosures.

Amid limited testing that conceals the true extent of the pandemic, total cases rose by 348 (16%) to 2,547 from the day prior, and deaths increased by 10 to a total of 65 since the virus first was confirmed in Ohio on March 9.

In Stark County, 52 confirmed cases have been reported, up from the 45 cases reported Tuesday. There are now a dozen people in a Stark County hospital, up one compared to Tuesday. No new deaths were reported for Stark County Wednesday.

Mahoning County reported its 10 coronavirus death Wednesday with 78 people in the hospital. The county has 177 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Tuscarawas County now has 14 cases with two people remaining in the hospital and no deaths. Carroll County remained the same with five confirmed cases, four people in the hospital and no deaths, according to the state data.

Gov. Mike DeWine has signaled he will extend the state’s two-week stay-at-home order — set to expire after Monday — before the week is out in an effort to enforce social distancing and undercut the spread of the virus.

But he did not issue the renewed order Wednesday.

The timing of other state actions suggests the stay-at-home order could be extended for four weeks amid a forecast of up to 10,000 new cases a day, most of which will be mild and unconfirmed by testing.

The closure of K-12 schools was extended Monday to at least May 1, and nearly 18,000 state office workers were informed Tuesday that they will continue to work from home until at least that date.

Forced business closures accompanying the pandemic have cratered the state economy, throwing hundreds of thousands of Ohioans out of work. Unemployment compensation claims are expected to easily smash records when numbers are reported Thursday.

DeWine issued an executive order Wednesday urging commercial lenders and property owners to not begin foreclosure and eviction proceedings on small business and residential rental properties. He also requested a 90-day moratorium on rent and mortgage payments.

Most banks have granted 90-day pauses in collecting mortgages due to the pandemic, said Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who suggested that amounts owed, with interest, should be added to the back end of loans.

But beginning proceedings now for past-due rent and mortgage would create a cycle that throws Ohio renters out into the streets when many are ordered confined at home and others are without jobs, Husted said. Courts have largely deferred hearing any residential eviction cases.

Racing to prepare for the projected peak of cases in mid- to late April, state and hospital officials are working to double bed-capacity and secure more equipment such as ventilators to handle patients afflicted with the respiratory disease.

The state, meanwhile, moved to speed up testing for the coronavirus, with the implication being that private labs take too long to deliver results, to get a better handle on its spread and any hot spots.

State health director Dr. Amy Acton issued an order requiring Ohio hospitals without labs — a majority — to send their coronavirus tests to a handful of designated hospital labs with the capacity to handle more tests, including Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The state lab is moving to three shifts to increase testing and turnaround times.

“A four- to six-day wait is unacceptable for patients and for the rest of us,” DeWine said of awaiting test results.

He also said quick testing for suspected coronavirus cases will be made available at urgent care facilities, free-standing emergency rooms and ambulatory care centers.

“What we are seeing in New York is why we work every single day in Ohio,” he said.

Health officials also continue to scramble to overcome shortages and obtain supplies of personal protective equipment such as masks, gowns and gloves to safely deal with the anticipated crush of coronavirus cases.

“We have a real need to increase the number, and we have to increase them significantly,” DeWine said.

He announced the creation of the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19, a public-private partnership to encourage the production of medical supplies needed in the fight against the virus. “The money will be there,” he said of any worries about getting paid for products.

Acton reports about 20% of the state’s coronavirus cases — around 440 — are among health care workers who largely contracted the disease in the line of duty.

Acton denounced a shipment of protective supplies from the federal stockpile as inadequate to cover the state’s current needs, let alone the virus cases to come.

She acknowledged the parade of sameness amid the days accompanying the stay-at-home order can be grating on the nerves and counseled kindness and patience instead of stress.

“I want to talk about the Groundhog Day we are living. I feel it,” said Acton, who called the Bill Murray classic one of her favorite movies. “We have kind of a gauntlet ahead of staying in the same Groundhog Day.”

DeWine also advised food-stamp recipients they can use their debit cards for the benefits to shop and buy groceries online for curbside pickup to minimize time in stores. If online payment is not available, groceries can be ordered online and then purchased in the store.

Asked about the Hobby Lobby chain of craft and fabric stores reopening in Ohio after previously closing and if it was an essential business, DeWine said local health departments have enforcement power to order closures. If a situation endangers others, he said, “We have to take action.”

In a tweet Wednesday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said he has sent a cease and desist letter to Hobby Lobby's general counsel.

“Hobby Lobby properly closed its stores during Ohio’s stay-home order,” he tweeted. “Now they’re open again — what’s changed? Neither the order, nor the seriousness of the health threat, for sure.”

Mentioning an order is coming Thursday to apparently further enforce social distancing orders and bans on mass gatherings, DeWine said church leaders must not gather their congregations in large numbers.

“They are endangering themselves, they are endangering their families, they are endangering total strangers ... It’s not a Christian thing to do,” the governor added.

On Tuesday evening, federal authorities announced that President Donald Trump had approved DeWine’s request for a major disaster declaration.

It qualifies state and local governments, and some nonprofit groups, for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance in dealing with the pandemic.

DeWine said the money can cover up to 75% of state and local government costs for virus preparedness and to expand bed capacity at hospitals.

Ohio is also receiving $137.5 million in a first allocation of federal coronavirus funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for state and local governments to use toward community development block grants and emergency shelter grants.

The Canton Repository contributed to this report.

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