Doing our part in our shared effort to defeat this pandemic

Dear Ohio State Community:

As we approach the end of the second week of virtual classes and the third week since we began a profound change in our behavior, I want to pause briefly to once again thank each of you for your collective hard work and commitment.

In particular, our gratitude goes to the outstanding and courageous people on the front lines in positions essential to our health, protection and support. Our gratitude also goes to those stopping the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home and practicing preventative measures such as social distancing and good hygiene.

We are still on the ascending part of the curve, and it is early, but the efforts we make today will have a critical impact tomorrow in shaping that curve and keeping the community safe.

I know you are all doing your part in our shared effort to defeat this pandemic. There are many examples of new ways we are working and collaborating in our community. These include the work with Battelle to improve testing and extend the life of personal protective equipment; a partnership to create 1,500 kits with learning materials for families; medical students who are now providing child care and other services for health care workers, and more.

We will stay in this fight together, united proudly as Buckeyes and citizens of the world.

Sincerely,

Michael V. Drake, MD