COLUMBUS, Ohio - Twenty-six people in Ohio were confirmed to have the new coronavirus by Saturday afternoon, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

That’s double from Friday afternoon, when there were 13.

Cases are in the following counties: two in Belmont, four in Butler, 11 in Cuyahoga, one in Franklin, one in Lorain, three in Stark, two in Summit and two in Trumbull.

“You’ll seen they’ve gone up today,” Gov. Mike DeWine said during a briefing at the Ohio Statehouse. “We’ve got more testing going on. You’re seeing more hospitals come online. They have the ability to test.”

The coronavirus is twice as contagious as the flu he said.

“It’s also 20 times more deadly,” he said.

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton provided more details:

Illnesses began for the patients ranging from Feb. 7 to March 13

Age ranges are 31 to 86. The mean age is 53.

The patients are 12 women and 14 men.

There are seven people who have been hospitalized and no people have died.

Additionally, 264 people were being tested for COVID-19 as of Saturday afternoon. There have been 85 negative tests in Ohio.

DeWine warned the public of having coronavirus fatigue. He said it’s not a sprint.

“This is going to be a while," he said. "We don’t know when this peaks out. We don’t know how fast it’ll go back down. The best estimate from Dr. Acton is April, early May as far as when this might peak. We’re going to be doing this for a while.”

Elective surgeries

DeWine said he’s recommending elective surgeries be delayed. He said he talked to dentists and veterinarians on Saturday. More guidance will come out Monday on what kind of surgeries will be affected.

That’s because medical supplies are needed to treat COVID-19 patients. There is a shortage of personal protective equipment, such as N-95 masks, that medical workers need to stay healthy and treat the influx of coronavirus patients expected to come into facilities.

“The numbers are nowhere near what we need,” Acton said of the N9 masks.

At Saturday afternoon's COVID-19 briefing, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton holds up a protective mask, which are in short supply. (Laura Hancock/cleveland.com)

If dentists and veterinarians have extra masks, they’re asked to consider giving them to people on the frontlines of COVID-19. Acton said the Ohio Department of Health will announce in coming days where to deliver them.

“One of the issues we’ve been talking about is developing criteria” for how to limit elective surgeries, said Dr. Andy Thomas, Ohio State University’s chief clinical officer.

Heightened anxiety

“These are really trying times for all of us,” said Lori Criss, Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

She encouraged Ohioans to use the strategies they use to feel better: sleeping, resting, relaxing, watching movies, taking walks, staying hydrated and exercising.

If people start to feel helpless or hopeless, they should seek professional help.

“We’d also urge you to limit your media exposure,” she said.

People can increase anxiety if they don’t do anything but read news about the coronavirus. She also urged getting information from trusted sources and pointed the public to coronavirus.ohio.gov and its helpline 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.

“Plan time to catch up and stay informed, but also plan time to step away from it so you can participate in your life activities,” she said.

Ohioans seeking treatment can message “4HOPE” to 741 741, the Ohio Crisis Text line. The department’s help line is 1-877-275-6364. People can also visit https://findtreatment.gov.

Nursing homes update

DeWine ordered that visitation at nursing homes end.

But he made a clarification Saturday.

“The order does make an exception for end-of-life situations, that includes family and clergy," he said.

Ohio history

The situation is moving rapidly.

Since the first infections were announced Monday afternoon -- three people in suburban Cuyahoga County were the first to test positive in Ohio -- DeWine and other state officials have announced infections in other counties over different regions of the state.

DeWine announced that schools will be closed for at least three weeks -- with learning occurring at home in most cases.

He also signed an order prohibiting mass gatherings, meaning gatherings of 100 or more people. There are a number of exceptions, such as weddings, funerals and office environments.

As of Saturday afternoon, there were 153,000 confirmed cases, including 5,789 deaths worldwide.

There were nearly 2,500 confirmed cases in the U.S., including 51 deaths.

Daycare recommendation

DeWine made the following recommendation: “If you have the ability to take your child out of that setting, you should do so."

Social distancing is key to prevent spreading of the illness. But DeWine said that’s virtually impossible with little children, ages 2 or 3 for example.

For opioid addicts

On Friday night, the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration approved Ohio’s COVID-19 opioid treatment plan, said Criss, director of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

The plan offers new ways of working with people with an opioid addiction, including in-home visits to provide medication therapy to people who may be under quarantine.

“I just want to take a minute and say to all of our friends and family members living with mental illness and substance use disorders that it’s important to know we want you to stay healthy and well and always continue in your recovery,” she said.

She told the mental health patients to not skip appointments due to fear of exposure to coronavirus. But if they feel sick and could possibly have COVID-19, to call their physician.

Criss said her department and Ohio Medicaid are also allowing more individual therapy sessions be conducted via telemedicine, even with a simple landline. For now, they’re eliminating the requirement that the first appointment be in-person.

Other coronavirus coverage:

University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic providing drive-thru coronavirus testing to patients with doctor’s order

Ohio health department chief regularly cites school study on hand-washing. What does it say?

MetroHealth Dr. Amy Ray offers helpful coronavirus advice in video

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