The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) held a press conference Thursday discussing recent health updates on respiratory illnesses and the 2023 suicide report.

ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, hosted the conference along with Director of Ohio Department of Mental Health and Additional Services (OhioMHAS), LeeAnne Cornyn. 

Vanderhoff started the discussion with the amount of coronavirus cases that were reported in Ohio.

Vanderhoff said, up to 8,000 COVID cases were reported on January 2, and as of January 16, the number has declined to 5,500 cases.

Vanderhoff also reported that 26 Ohioans have died per week from COVID and advises people over the age of 65 to keep up with their vaccines. 

He also stated the increase in norovirus and has given a few helpful tips of what you can do to stay safe:

- Wash your hands well and often.

- Cook shellfish thoroughly.

- Wash fruits and vegetables before you work on them or consume.

- Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces. 

- Wash your laundry in hot water.

- Stay home when you are sick for two days. 

Vanderhoff also happily announced that there has been a decline of cases for two respiratory illnesses, pertussis and mycoplasma pneumonia.

He also said that the ODH has an excellent resource called summary of infectious diseases, where you can look up all case counts in Ohio. You can check that out here.

Additionally, Vanderhoff talked about the status of bird flu in Ohio and stated that several farms and flocks have been infected, but no human cases have occurred and are very rare.

Vanderhoff said, the CDC has reported 67 human cases nationally of the bird flu. The CDC also considers that the current risk of bird flu to the general public is low. 

Vanderhoff advises to avoid unprotected exposure to sick or dead animals or their environment.

Ohioans are also advised to avoid contact with wild birds and view them from a safe distance if possible.

You can report sick or wild birds to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources using 1-800-WILDLIFE. 

If you do believe you had an exposure, Vanderhoff urges you to monitor for any new respiratory illnesses and contact your local health department if you experience symptoms to seek medical attention. 

It is also stated that consuming cooked poultry products is safe to eat unless it is undercooked or raw and always wash your hands when touching any animal product or environment. 

Vanderhoff said the 2023 suicide rates in Ohio has declined by a slight 1% in contrast to a 8% increase from 2021 and 1% increase in 2022. 

Last year, it was reported that Ohio has lost over 1,777 lives to suicide which estimates to five people a day. 

Vanderhoff added that ODH is committed to driving those numbers down and collaborate with local communities and sister agencies to tackle the issue. 

Cornyn continued with the progress of making a difference and moving in the right direction of reducing suicide rates. 

"These findings that we are talking about today are absolutely a step in the right direction. And though these reductions are slight, I truly believe this is evidence that all of our efforts as a state, are beginning to make a difference. But as you said, there is so much work that we have to do, so much work ahead of us." Cornyn says. 

LeeAnne added, "OhioMHAS strives to make sure that prevention, treatment, recovery supports and crisis services are visible, accessible and effective in every single Ohio community." 

Cornyn also mentioned that in 2019 under Governor Mike DeWine's leadership, Ohio offered their first suicide prevention plan, with a second version of the plan created last year. 

The plan also consists of corporations, non profits, county governments and other organizations coming together and assisting as much as they can for the community. 

Ohio has one of the largest network of 19 call centers for suicide prevention lines across the state.

Since the program launched in 2022, they have fielded over 440,000 contacts such as calls, chats and texts from Ohioans who are trained to gain the skills to help someone in need.