COLUMBUS, Ohio – Six hundred fifty-six Ohioans have died of coronavirus, including 38 probable cases, according to the Ohio Department of Health on Thursday.

And 14,694 Ohioans have been infected, including 552 probable infections.

Wednesday’s totals were 610 people dead and 14,117 who have been infected.

Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday said he gave Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health, the day off.

He said he’ll provide details about the reopening plan Monday.

Nearly 2.7 people have been infected across the globe, including 186,000 people who have died. In the U.S. the number of infections was over 845,00 with nearly 47,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker.

Elective procedures (again)

DeWine said Thursday he needed to clarify the ease of the elective procedure ban.

He said that doctors need to reach out to patients with postponed procedures and do an assessment on their health.

If the doctor now thinks the procedure should be completed based on criteria in the ban that allows an exception — surgeries that will reduce risk of severe symptoms to the patient, preserve life, preserve limbs or organs, and preserve progression of disease or metastasis with cancer — then the surgery may be performed.

The doctor also needs to let the patient know the risks of transmission of COVID-19, DeWine said.

Surface cleaning

Mark Weir, director of Oho State University’s Ecology Epidemiology and Population Health Program, Infectious Disease Institute shared details prior to the opening of the state during DeWine’s briefing.

He said the virus will live suspended in the air for upwards of three hours. Some surfaces for 72 hours. Stainless steels and plastics are the surfaces it lives on longest.

But if a surface is disinfected, particularly with solutions that get rid of 99% of the germs, most of coronavirus will be killed, he said.

“If we can kill the virus, it can’t get inside of us,” Weir said.

Businesses can let their customers know how frequently they’re wiping down surfaces, he said.

Masks

Weir said it was important to wear a mask: “A mask will capture a large number of droplets.”

If everyone in a store wears a mask, people will shield people from each other. The idea is I wear a mask to protect you and you wear a mask to protect me.

“Team sport,” DeWine said.

Even if a person wears a mask, they should physically distance to create a series of barriers to protect people from possibility of infection.

Weir also talked about hand-washing and hand sanitizer to remove the virus.

Interventions can be expensive or cheap, he said.

DeWine didn’t say whether he will make mask-wearing mandatory.

Air filters

HVAC systems can recycle air — with all the viruses in it, he said.

Building owners can put in thicker filters in the HVAC system, or HEPA filters.

“The thicker the filter, you get more removal of viruses,” he said.

HEPA filters remove small particles.

Cooking

Weir had some information about cooking.

“When you freeze something you damage cells,” he said.

Viruses can be removed in the freezing process.

Cooking can also help kill viruses, he said.

“Viruses do not survive heat well at all,” Weir said.

Other coronavirus coverage:

Gov. Mike DeWine gives Thursday’s coronavirus update: Watch live

DeWine condemns anti-Semitic protesters at coronavirus demonstration: ‘It was disgusting. It was vile.’

Ohio coronavirus deaths surpass 600: Gov. Mike DeWine’s Wednesday, April 22 briefing

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine denounces state senator for comment on post that equated anti-coronavirus measures with Nazi Germany

Rep. Jim Jordan, refusing to wear mask at contentious hearing, calls proposed coronavirus oversight subcommittee a Democratic plot to attack Trump

Nearly 1 million Ohioans have filed unemployment claims during the coronavirus crisis