Ohio could see as many as 10,000 new coronavirus cases a day, state health director Dr. Amy Acton said Friday. Based off those projections, ICUs could fill up in three days and hospitals could reach capacity in a week, she said. It’s why hospitals need to quickly increase their number of beds and ICU capacity, Gov. Mike DeWine said.

Gov. Mike DeWine counsels Ohioans — some of whom are doubtful and others who are growing antsy at home — to join him in believing the science, the experts and the numbers.

With projections that new coronavirus cases in Ohio could accelerate to 10,000 each day in coming weeks, state officials point out an escalating number of Ohioans continue to fall ill — and die — from the infection.

With the statewide total reaching four figures, state health officials reported Friday afternoon that another 270 residents — an increase of 31% — have been diagnosed with COVID-19. That brought the statewide total to 1,137.

Another three deaths from the highly infectious respiratory disease also were reported, bringing Ohio’s toll to 19.

State figures showed 32 additional cases in Franklin County for a total of 152. The city and county jointly have reported three deaths caused by COVID-19. Four of the city-listed cases are in Worthington, which also is covered by Columbus Public Health.

Cases in surrounding counties increased by 13 to 46 on Friday: Delaware, 20; Licking, 10; Fairfield, eight; Madison and Union, three cases each; and Pickaway, two.

The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has prompted a stay-at-home order through April 6 to help prevent its spread, leading to the closures of scores of nonessential businesses and throwing hundreds of thousands of Ohioans out of work.

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DeWine said Friday that new modeling from the Cleveland Clinic shows the peak of the virus now reaching into mid-May.

State Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said the updated modeling finds that the pandemic will potentially reach up to 10,000 new cases each day. She cited daily figures of 6,000 to 8,000 on Thursday.

Many of those cases will never be confirmed by testing since a large number will be infected with no or mild symptoms, she said. Acton estimates 40% to 70% of Ohioans will contract the disease.

The governor said, "Within about two weeks, it’s going to kick in much harder and we’re really going to start getting kicked very hard in our hospitals and hospital admissions." Medical and hospital officials "truly believe" the virus is coming and coming hard, DeWine said.

Hospitals need to quickly double, or triple, their number of beds and ICU capacity. DeWine wants rough drafts of each hospital’s plans to achieve the feat on his desk by 8 a.m. Saturday.

DeWine said, "We have a long way to go, and that’s the stark reality. The good news is our hospitals have been thinking about this, planning for this, beginning to move forward."

Acton said a ban on nonessential surgeries has reduced hospital occupancy rates from more than 70% to 56%, freeing up beds for the growing pandemic.

DeWine also signed into law the emergency pandemic-response bill unanimously passed Wednesday by the General Assembly.

The 28-point law includes a mail-only primary election ending April 28 — after polls were ordered closed March 17 — and postponement of the state tax-filing deadline to July 15.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, joined DeWine for his news conference by phone to describe the near $2 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress and signed Friday by President Donald Trump. Portman declared the pandemic "a once-in-a-lifetime crisis."

Individuals with annual taxable income of less than $75,000 or a couple with less than $150,000 will automatically receive checks for $1,200 and $2,400, respectively, Portman said.

Eligible parents also will receive $500 for each child. Those with individual taxable incomes up to $99,000 a year will receive smaller checks. "It’s essential to get people some cash quickly," he said.

Portman said other programs will help businesses stay open, offer additional unemployment benefits and channel money to hospitals to "ensure we are dealing with this pandemic in an appropriate way, which means testing" and development of a vaccine.

Isolation appears to be working to partially check the growth of coronavirus cases.

But, Acton warned, "We are on the upslope of the disease." She said while more than 20,000 Ohioans have been tested, testing remains limited. Stay-at-home and other health orders "give us the best chance, buy us some time," she said. "I’m proud of Ohioans for fighting back."

The closure of businesses and spiraling numbers of unemployed are taking a big chunk out of state and local income- and sales-tax collections, prompting DeWine to instruct his cabinet directors to quickly identify "dramatic" budget cuts extending through mid-2021.

Columbus-based Battelle has developed a system to sanitize up to 160,000 used face masks a day to allow them to go back into the battle instead of being thrown away.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was nearing approval of the device, said Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who said two machines would be deployed in Ohio and others shipped to other states.

Saying the No. 1 concern he hears from the medical community concerns the ongoing availability of personal protection equipment for health-care personnel, DeWine said, "There’s an urgent need for this."

Franklin County officials are finalizing an agreement to provide space at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, if needed, for hospital beds for coronavirus patients.

Jeff Young, director of Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said Friday that details are still being worked out but would involve using larger exhibit space at the convention center.

"I know we’re not at capacity yet, but we expect to be at a surge level," said Commissioner Marilyn Brown. "I think the location is ideal, it’s very centrally located for all of the hospital systems."

A second employee at Mill Run Care Center in Hilliard has tested positive for the coronavirus, the facility said Friday.

The second employee was not a direct-care worker and began to self-quarantine after developing symptoms last weekend. He had "very limited contact" with residents or other employees, the facility said.

All residents and employees at Mill Run currently have no symptoms of the coronavirus, said spokesman Ryan Stubenrauch.

Meanwhile, a Columbus nursing home and assisted-living facility has quarantined 19 patients and residents after a "contract medical professional" was confirmed to have the coronavirus.

Patients at Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber, 717 Neil Ave., who were in contact with the professional have been isolated as a precaution, said spokeswoman Melissa Dardinger.

"At this time, no residents or patients are exhibiting symptoms," Dardinger said Friday morning. Citing health privacy laws, Dardinger declined to identify what work the medical professional performed at the facility.

A deputy at the Franklin County sheriff’s office has tested positive for the coronavirus. The deputy, who is assigned to the Jackson Pike jail, tested positive Thursday. The deputy was last in the jail for a shift that began Monday.

The coronavirus bill signed by DeWine on Friday allows recent nursing graduates who have not yet taken their licensure exams to begin working sooner. The management company that administers the tests suspended the exams earlier this month in light of the pandemic.

"It allows our students to go ahead and start contributing to all the different health-care entities in Ohio, especially here in central Ohio," said Kelly Cavanagh, campus executive director at Hondros' Columbus campus.

The legislation allows the Ohio Board of Nursing to issue temporary registered nurse and licensed practical nurse licenses to those individuals. Nursing programs must still provide the board with completion letters indicating students have met their program requirements, which was already standard. The board estimates there are 4,000 to 5,000 nursing students in Ohio who are recent graduates or in the last semester of their nursing programs.

"Anytime we can put more health-care providers into the workforce such as RNs, I think that it can benefit us and our systems in general," said Dr. Kathleen Williamson, academic dean of the Mount Carmel College of Nursing.

Dispatch Reporters Marc Kovac, Bethany Bruner, Megan Henry and Jennifer Smola contributed to this story.

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow