COLUMBUS, Ohio — During his daily press conference Saturday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine made a plea to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve new technology that sterilizes surgical masks and would allow for healthcare workers to have more access to critical personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Battelle Memorial Institute, an applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, has developed new technology that would allow healthcare workers to sterilize up to 80,000 face masks per day, per machine, DeWine said.
There are currently two machines that Battelle Memorial Institute has already developed and waiting for FDA approval. The two machines would allow the state of Ohio to sterilize 160,000 masks per day.
“It really is truly a matter of life and death. We need to protect our people who are risking their lives, every single day,” DeWine said.
During the press conference, DeWine and Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Amy Acton listed the 10 medical items most needed, including face masks, surgical gowns, medical-grade gloves, N95 respirators, isolation gowns, face shields, Tyvek coveralls, thermometers, foot coverings and ventilator tubing.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Read our daily Coronavirus Live Blog for the latest updates and news on coronavirus.
We're Open! Northeast Ohio is place created by News 5 to open us up to new ways of thinking, new ways of gathering and new ways of supporting each other.
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Ohio, a timeline of Governor Mike DeWine's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Northeast Ohio, and link to more information from the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
Here is everything you need to know about testing for coronavirus in Ohio.
Here's a list of things in Northeast Ohio closed due to coronavirus concerns
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
