By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County Health Department staff is working to trace back COVID-19 cases, to reach out to people who may have been in contact with local residents who have tested positive for the virus.
Following up with contacts will help the health department get a more accurate picture of the spread here.
“It’s a lot more work, but I think it will help us slow down the spread,” Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Batey said Tuesday morning during the weekly conference call with local elected officials.
However, that doesn’t solve the problem of no testing available for those people who were in contact with COVID-19 patients. State Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, asked Batey if testing is available for those probable cases.
The answer – no.
“The most frustrating thing for me in this entire response has been the lack of tests,” Batey said. “The testing capacity is just not there.”
The Ohio Department of Health has plenty of capacity to run the tests, but there are very few tests being sent to local health departments, he said.
“As much as we want to test those people, we have to save those test kits for the most in need,” Batey said. Those include nursing home facility residents with symptoms and people hospitalized for the symptoms.
As of Tuesday, Wood County had 64 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19. Five county residents with the virus have died in the last week.
In addition to working with residents, the health department has been following up with businesses that have remained open during the pandemic.
“We encourage them to really think about the flow of their businesses,” so as to reduce close contact with people. Grocery stores are now being advised to create one-way aisles to minimize contact.
The Ohio Department of Health is asking people to wear face coverings when outside the home. The masks act as “another layer of protection,” to keep asymptomatic people from spreading COVID-19.
Batey cautioned that local residents need to maintain their stay-at-home and social distancing efforts.
“So we don’t see a massive increase all at once,” he said, noting the predicted peak of cases in Ohio in early May. “The next couple weeks are extremely critical.”
Wood County Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Klein gave an update on personal protective equipment supplies.
“Wood County seems to be set fairly decent for PPE,” he said. But he asked that people “be judicious when using it.”
Ohio EMA has warned that the next PPE shipments won’t be coming for another four to eight weeks.
The Battelle company is sterilizing PPEs, then returning them so they can be used again. But that process is just for N-95 masks and only for facilities – like Wood County Hospital – that have contracts with the company, Klein explained.
Some fire departments use ultraviolet lights to sterilize items, but FDA approval is still being waited on for the lights to be used on masks.
Klein said some departments are being “creative,” like Bowling Green Fire Division which made some masks on a 3-D printer.
“Everyone around the world is trying to get their hands on the same items,” Batey said of PPE supplies.
It was also mentioned during the meeting that funeral home directors are also in need of PPE.
Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn reported that the county jail population has dipped to 108 this week. He voiced appreciation for local law enforcement and judges in reducing the number of people being brought to the jail.
Wasylyshyn also noted the sheriff’s office call volume is “way down,” though domestic violence issues are creeping higher.
Other items mentioned during the conference call included:
- Gavarone said she is receiving a lot of calls from people needing help with unemployment. She suggested people go to https://unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov/
- State Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, R-Perrysburg, talked about funding from the state, dispute resolution offered for businesses, and small business loans.
- Klein reported that the plan to use Bowling Green State University as an alternate care facility may not be necessary.
- Wood County Assistant Administrator Carri Stanley talked about issues being seen at the drop-off recycling sites throughout the county. When the bins are full, the sites are closed, with pickup each Wednesday.
- Luckey Mayor Cory Panning talked about his town’s purchase of iPads for council members, so meetings can be conducted through video conferencing. He offered to help other communities wanting to try similar processes.
- A Tontogany official reported hearing from residents about their difficulty paying utility bills after losing employment due to the coronavirus. Ghanbari suggested that residents be directed to the Wood County Department of Job and Family Services for assistance.
