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In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, Cleveland State University has been teaching its classes remotely and now, its residence halls sit largely empty. But there is a group of students who’ve been allowed to remain in the dorms. Those are the Sullivan-Deckard scholars — students who aged out of the foster care system and are getting scholarships to pursue their undergraduate degree at CSU. Among them is Nariah Swails, a freshman who’s riding out this strange time on campus and is grateful for the assistance she’s getting from CSU’s Pratt Center.

Trials for an antiviral that could help treat COVID-19 patients are underway at University Hospitals, and promising preliminary data could be released soon. The studies are testing the effectiveness of remdesivir for patients with pneumonia as a result of the coronavirus. Patients enrolled in the trials seem to tolerate the antiviral and recover, said UH principal investigator Leila Hojat, but researchers can’t draw any conclusions at this point.

Stella Maris, a drug treatment center on Cleveland’s West Side, hosts numerous in-person meetings each week, as clients consult with caregivers and attend group sessions with others in recovery. The coronavirus has changed that, forcing the treatment facility’s staff to rewire their services on the fly. The center shut down its campus to outside visitors two weeks ago and now offers phone- and video-based outpatient care, Executive Director Daniel Lettenberger-Klein said.

Medical personal protective equipment (PPE) is in short supply nationwide due to a surge of COVID-19 patients. Companies have shifted production to make equipment for the crisis, and individuals are stepping up to sew homemade masks. One community highly equipped to help meet this need is the Amish.

The Geauga County Health District has received numerous complaints that some Amish residents in the area are not practicing social distancing, which is needed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Health Commissioner Tom Quade said some residents have expressed concerns that those in the Amish community are still holding church services, going to school and riding in packed vans, known informally as 'Amish taxis' that transport them to grocery stores or their place of work.

Earlier this year, as health officials began tallying coronavirus cases across the United States, Janitorial Services Inc. in Cleveland was stocking up on hospital-grade disinfectant. “I bought about a year’s worth in a month and a half,” owner Ronald Martinez told ideastream. “And believe it or not, we’re probably down to 20 percent of what I bought, because we’ve been putting it out in the buildings, even though it’s not part of their normal daily disinfecting.”

Updated: 5:28 p.m., Friday, April 3, 2020 Six inmates at the Cuyahoga County Jail have tested positive for the coronavirus, and two more are under suspicion. All the infected inmates lived in the same area of the jail, and MetroHealth System is doing contact tracing to determine who could have been exposed to the virus. "The city and county health departments are working together to support Metro in this investigation,” County Executive Armond Budish said. “And it's important, I want to repeat: we are prepared for this."

Holmes County is home to 23,000 Amish citizens — nearly half of its total population. The county’s health department is getting the word out to this community about social distancing and COVID-19. Health Commissioner of the Holmes County General Health District Michael Derr said Amish citizens in the area tend to be more progressive, and they are following media reports about the virus and protective measures. He said his department sends out mailings with updated COVID-19 information every week to leaders in the community.

Updated: 4:19 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, 2020 Two local researchers have developed a web tool that aims to show real-time COVID-19 risk at different locations. Case Western Reserve University faculty members Fanny Ye and Ken Loparo have created an online mapping tool called Alpha-Satellite that attempts to show the risk of community spread of the coronavirus in any given area.

Hundreds of cars circle San Francisco, festooned with signs honoring George Floyd and other black victims of police violence. Similar protests are planned from Detroit to Connecticut.