Gov. Mike DeWine said hospitalizations are up and ICU admissions are up based on the 21-day average. He recognized that schools have frustration due to the lack of certainty. Each school district is in a different place, due to their buildings, community spread, and the strength of the community. The community spread will be reflected within the schools. Two factors impact the schools- how serious the community spread is, and what is going on within the school.
There is a new listing on the coronavirus.ohio.gov website that ranks the counties based on their case numbers for the last 2 weeks “Ohio Counties ranked by Highest Occurrence.” This is translated into a population of 100,000. What is going on in the community is going to directly impact schools. We all have different goals for our kids. Schools need to be flexible in their plans. The virus has a mind of its own.
DeWine said Ohio is going to add additional order today – with the goal must to give a safe environment for children, teachers, and others who work there.
Doctors now advise children K-12 should wear masks. AAP and Ohio Children’s Hospital Association and CDC guidelines support children’s use of face coverings and masks. There will be a new order that all children wear masks upon returning to school- K-12 with some exceptions (under 2 years old, safety risks, tactile issues, developmental delays, and more).
This will be a health department order. This gives us the best shot that we have, DeWine said.
FEMA to distribute some masks to schools.
DeWine said he understands sports are important to children. So the state wants to get a little closer to the onset of fall sports before a plan is decided on.
DeWine addressed houses of worship and asked those attending churches to wear masks. They will be sending a letter out with more details to all the churches to try to keep them up to date with the latest information.
Informal gatherings – just because it’s family and friends, they could still be carrying the virus. Approximately 22,000 tests are being performed average/day. DeWine said the state has to continue to increase this testing. He announced a multistate purchasing agreement to expand the usage of point of care tests with faster turnaround times, increased accessibility.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted talked about sports. Non-contact have returned to competition since mid-June, June 22 return to practice allowed for contact sports, not competition. On July 4, a temporary order allowed some contact sports. This was renewed with strict guidelines addressing quarantine, and testing, Husted said. The administration is working with the Ohio High School Athletic Association and still considering many options. The state is trying to accommodate the health and practical considerations that must go into this for the kids, parents, coaches, and fans. New guidance should be accomplished in the near future.
Ohio Confirmed Cases: 90,041
Ohio Probable Cases: 5,065
Ohio Total Confirmed plus Probable: 95,106
Ohio Hospitalizations: 11,119
ICU Admissions: 2,593
Ohio Confirmed COVID Deaths: 3,301
Ohio Probable COVID Deaths: 269
*For daily state hospitalization data please visit: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/dashboards/key-metrics/hospitalizations/key-metrics-on-hospitalizations scroll to the bottom, find the date you are looking for and hover your mouse over that bar.
Wood County Cases (total plus probable): 956
Wood County Hospitalizations: 98
Wood County Deaths: 58
Wood County Active Cases: 153
County EOC Objectives:
1. Coordinate the county’s response to limit spread of COVID-19; and maintain medical care.
2. Provide timely, clear, and consistent messaging to the public, stakeholders and media on the status of COVID-19 and actions the public can take to keep themselves safe.
3. Determine how county agencies will continue delivery of essential services to Wood County residents while following COVID-19 public health guidelines.
4. Prevent, identify, mitigate, and respond to COVID19 hotspots within the county.
EMA:
State EMA: Join Laura Adcock, Disaster Recovery Branch Chief of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, as she discusses the different grants opportunities that are available to you. You will also have an opportunity to ask questions about these opportunities. Aug. 7, at 1 p.m. Registration is limited to 100 people per session. To register for either webinar, click: http://ow.ly/8rBV50AE019 You will receive an email confirmation directly from Zoom after registering for the webinar.
Over the past 24 hours, the Ohio Department of Health reported 932 (93,963) total new cases, 92 (10,992) hospitalizations, 10 (2,570) ICU admissions, and 10 (3,539) deaths, which were all below their respective 21-day averages. No new Hot Spots were identified in the last 24 hours. ODH is monitoring a total of 15 Hot Spots across the state. Warehouse capacity continues to be monitored as inbound supplies increase. State stockpiling and storage strategies continue to be developed through ESF-7 and the State EOC Unified Command.
Several Ohio residents have notified the Ohio Department of Agriculture that they have received unsolicited packages in the mail containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. It’s unknown what type of seeds are in the packets that have been received recently across the U.S. The concerns are that the unsolicited seeds could be invasive species, contain noxious weeds, could introduce diseases to local plants, or could be harmful to livestock. Invasive species and noxious weeds can displace native plants and increase costs of food production. People receiving packages of these seeds are asked to not plant them. If they are in sealed packaging, people are cautioned to not even open the sealed package. You can report the seeds to ODA Website: https://arcg.is/HiKH9 or you may contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Anti-smuggling Hotline by calling 800-877-3835 or by emailing SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov. People receiving the seeds are also asked to retain the original packaging, since that information may be useful to trade compliance officers as they work through this issue.
Wood County is still at a level 2 or orange level. Level 2 indicates: Increased exposure and spread. Exercise high degree of caution. Follow all current health orders. Same guidelines as in Level 1.
• Avoid contact with anyone who is considered high-risk.
• High-risk individuals should take extra care to follow precautions.
• Decrease in-person interactions outside household.
• Seek medical care as needed, but limit or avoid unnecessary visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and residential care facilities to see others as much as possible.
Ohio’s Public Health Advisory System is updated every Thursday. The system consists of four levels that provide Ohioans with guidance as to the severity of the problem in the counties in which they live. The levels are determined by seven data indicators that identify the risk level for each county and a corresponding color code to represent that risk level.
The Wood County EMA has a few cloth masks left for local government entities. Please contact us if you have a need. These will be given on a first come first served basis.
Please contact us if:
- You have PPE to donate, if you have any PPE needs or have any questions.
- The EMA has kits containing masks and hand sanitizer to be designated for local small businesses (under 100 total employees) that we will be able to push out soon. If you own a small business with less than 100 employees and are interested, please email us at woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us .
- If you know citizens looking to purchase masks, please connect them with our office and we can give them the contact information of local mask sellers.
- The EMA has kits for Wood County for-profit small businesses (under 100 employees) that contain PPE and hand sanitizer. These kits were provided through JobsOhio to Wood County Economic Development. These kits are first come, first served. Please email us with your business name, address, point of contact, and how many employees you have if you are interested.
Public Health:
There are 90,041 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ohio. There have been 956 cases (total confirmed plus probable) in Wood County, presently 153 active cases, 98 of those are or have been hospitalized, 58 deaths.
A new health commissioner has been selected in Wood County after the previous commissioner, Ben Batey, resigned from his position. Benjamin Robison has roots in Bowling Green and spent the last five years leading emergency planning and response efforts for the Ohio Department of Health.
New signage is available to communicate the statewide mask mandate. Download a PDF at: www.coronavirus.woodcountyhealth.org .
A reminder to employers that requirements for workplaces remain in place. These include ensuring social distancing as much as possible, requiring masks unless one of the approved exceptions, encouraging sick employees to stay home. Also, even though testing is more readily available, it is not recommended that employers require a negative test for an employee to return to work or a letter from a doctor or the health department. The health department does not provide such letters. Employers can find more information at https://bitly.com/2CmSkod .
People who have been tested and are looking for test results should have received the information about how to get their results when they were tested. Do not call the health department for results.
Case follow-up and contact tracing – Confirmed and probable cases are reported to the health department. Several health department staff are involved in contacting cases and their close contacts to ensure isolation and quarantine guidelines are followed. In addition, a UT professor has enlisted a pool of trained nursing and other students to help the health department with interviews of cases and their close contacts.
Testing – testing locations and other local information, as well as links to ODH and CDC resources, can be found at Coronavirus.WoodCountyHealth.org and https://sites.google.com/view/wchdohio-coronavirus/home/Testing
Healthcare:
Please note, all attempts to procure and purchase your own PPE should be made prior to requesting supplies from the county EMA or the state. The supply we have is meant as an emergency bridge or lifeline in the event these items cannot be procured. Hand sanitizer and surgical masks are in stock in stores across the county and at this time are accessible.
The Ohio PPE Maker’s Exchange is another great source to purchase from.
For agency resource requests, please contact us at: woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us .
BGSU:
Now publishing a situation report once/week.
Virtual Celebration on Aug. 15 th to congratulate the Summer 2020 graduates. More info at: www.bgsu.edu/commencement
Our return to campus plan involves taking personal responsibility not only for your own well-being, but the health and safety of our entire campus community. The following safety protocols are at the center of this commitment to self-care and community, and will remain in effect until further notice. https://www.bgsu.edu/coronavirus/return-to-campus/before-arriving-on-campus.html
Fall semester classes will now start on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
To best plan and to lessen the impact COVID-19 may have on our campuses, in-person classes will end on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The last week of classes will be Nov. 30-Dec. 4, and will be conducted remotely. Final exam week will be Dec. 7-11, and will also be conducted remotely. In addition, to provide maximized flexibility, we have also canceled Winter Session in 2021. Based upon current planning, classes for spring semester will now begin on Jan. 11, 2021, and end on April 30, 2021.
Wood County Fair:
The Wood County Farm Bureau Facebook page is offering live streaming for this year’s junior fair shows.
Local:
The intersection of West Wooster and Maple will be closed for one week starting Aug. 10.
Wood County United Way – It’s not too late to register to receive a backpack, call 2-1-1 for more information.
K-12 Fitted for Success Program – backpacks, school supplies, shoes, socks, and coats for qualified children k-12. Application packets will be mailed upon request and may be requested online at: www.woodcountyjfs.com or by calling 419-376-3499. Applications will be accepted until 700 children are approved.
The Pemberville-Freedom Area Historical Society has decided to cancel this year’s Harvest Gathering Artist Fair Gift Boutique & Craft Show scheduled for Oct. 24 due to COVID-19.
