COLUMBUS, Ohio _ The Ohio Department of Health reported more than 1,000 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus Sunday, along with 19 newly confirmed deaths, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 11,292.
The number of hospitalizations rose to 2,559. And a total of 453 deaths are now confirmed to be a result of the disease.
State officials reported a total of 11,602 confirmed and probable cases through Sunday, along with 471 confirmed and probable deaths from the disease.
Franklin County now has 1,442 confirmed cases and 30 confirmed deaths.
The number of confirmed cases seems to have leveled off in recent days, but the number of deaths continues to rise at a steady pace.
Gov. Mike DeWine has pledged to begin reopening the state's economy in phases beginning May 1, but health experts caution that testing must be widespread before businesses in the state can fully reopen.
Ohio is currently able to offer only limited testing for the virus.
Protesters have congregated outside the Statehouse in recent days to demand that DeWine reopen the economy, and some Republican lawmakers have joined the calls for the state to allow businesses to open again.
The governor issued a statewide stay-at-home order in March, which shuttered any business deemed non-essential. Grocery stores remain open, along with restaurants that agree to only offer carryout and delivery.
In an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday morning, DeWine said he recognizes that protesters have a First Amendment right to speak their minds, but he has asked demonstrators to observe social distancing to avoid spreading the virus.
"They were protesting against me yesterday, and that's just fine," DeWine said. "We're going to do what we think is right, and that is try to open this economy, but do it very, very carefully."
DeWine told Chuck Todd that Ohio could double or triple testing capacity if the FDA approved a reagent needed for test kits. DeWine appeared to confirm on Twitter Sunday that the FDA had approved the reagent, but a spokesman for the governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
