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COLUMBUS -- The death toll in Ohio from COVID-19 rises, including a fifth fatality in the Mahoning Valley.
The Ohio Department of Health reported Friday that a second Mahoning County resident died from the virus, bringing the total to four. On Thursday, the department reported one fatality each in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
However, on Friday, after the state's numbers were released, the Trumbull County Health Department reported a second person also died from the virus there, bringing the Valley total to five.
The number of fatalities in the state from the pandemic went from 15 on Thursday to 20 on Friday.
In addition to the Valley fatalities, as of Friday, there were four in Miami County; two each in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lucas and Stark counties; and one each in Erie, Gallia and Summit.
The age range of those who died is 58 to 93, Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said.
Also, 1,137 cases were confirmed in the state Friday, up from 867 Thursday.
Acton said it's an underestimated number as there are people who have the virus and don't realize it.
Acton had even more bad news Friday.
She said the projection is there could be 10,000 new cases per day during the peak. A day earlier, she said that number would be 6,000 to 8,000 daily.
"We are very much into the storm and headed into the eye of the storm," Acton said.
The peak was supposed to be late April or early May. But on Friday, Gov. Mike DeWine said after talking with Cleveland Clinic officials, it's been determined the peak is now mid-May and "the projection is to get slammed in two weeks."
He added: "If you don't believe that we could see 10,000 new cases a day -- we've tried to describe what the science tells us. Hospitals looking at the modeling and say that this is coming, it's here."
PREPARATIONS
Health-care facilities are preparing for the pandemic, DeWine said, but "staffing at hospitals is a major issue. We're trying to pull people in who have been retired, maybe other doctors, like dermatologists, can play a different role in helping during this crisis."
Acton urged people to stay home and by doing so "we have bought time in Ohio to allow these hospital systems to gear up. We have to keep buying that time."
But Acton said: "There is no health-care system in the world that can take on this virus as it was built."
She called COVID-19 "a once-in-a-100-year pandemic," and that we're fighting a "war against a silent enemy."
DeWine said: "There is a real sense of urgency to what I'm doing and what my team is doing every day. It is going to take doubling or tripling our hospital capacity. We have a lot of work to do, and we need you to stay apart."
According to the Ohio Department of Heath report Friday afternoon, there were 68 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mahoning County on Friday, up from 52 Thursday.
Mahoning has the third-most confirmed cases of any county in the state despite being the 12th most-populous county in Ohio. It reported its first two cases of the virus March 17.
There were 17 confirmed cases Friday in Trumbull County, up from 12 Thursday, the report states.
In Columbiana County, there were seven cases, up from five a day earlier.
Statewide, 276 people were hospitalized as of Friday, up from 223 Thursday.
There were 107 people in intensive-care units Friday with COVID-19, up from 91 Thursday, according to the Ohio Department of Health's Friday reporting.
Also Friday, DeWine signed into law a bill approved Wednesday by the state Legislature in response to the pandemic.
The bill prohibits water utility shutoffs, expands unemployment benefits, extends primary election voting to April 28, waives state testing and report cards for this school year, and delays the state tax filing deadline to July 15.
On March 12, DeWine ordered all kindergarten through grade 12 schools to close, starting at the end of the school day March 16, through at least April 3. DeWine said it is possible students will not return for the remainder of this school year.
DeWine also ordered the closing of nonessential businesses and for the public to stay at home on Sunday, effective at 11:59 p.m. Monday, through April 6 with exemptions.