Wood County Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operation Center’s Situation Report on COVID-19 Response
This April 22 report communicates Wood County Emergency Operations Center’s activity over the past 24 hours.
Executive Summary:
Gov. Mike DeWine – This afternoon, the first positive case was reported in the Ohio juvenile correction population. Elective surgeries were previously postponed by Dr. Amy Acton on March 17 to preserve critical PPE and critical space in hospitals.
Starting now, we are beginning the long process of lifting the stay at home order. DeWine is asking healthcare providers to reassess those procedures and surgeries that were postponed, and make a decision on whether/how to proceed. Clinical judgment and quality of life both need to be considered. Providers and patients together can move forward with diagnostic procedures as well. Please note that doing these things can increase the risk of contracting COVID19.
We understand that Ohioans are struggling with mental health. COVID care line has been set up 1-800-720-9616 to help support mental health. Licensed professionals are listening to concerns and stressors on the other end to assist with support and management, they can connect callers to additional resources as needed, staffed line or rolls over 24/7.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted – Our swift actions have put us in a good position today. Perspective, in March 5.6 million people working, economy robust record low employment rate. Since March 15, lost 1 million jobs in Ohio, nationally well over 25 million. As unemployment goes up, suicide, drug addiction, domestic violence, homelessness, and other health consequences all go up.
If people aren’t working, state and local governments have no revenue. The state relies heavily on income and sales tax. Normally, the 2.7 billion in the rainy day fund would suffice, in this climate this likely won’t cover the bill. State government funds a lot of education and health and healthcare. The reopening strategy is about people in addition to businesses. We all need to remain vigilant.
Dr. Amy Acton – 98,000 tests performed in the state. Last 24 hours we have seen a small dip in cases. We have gone up a little bit on deaths. There has also been an increase in ICU admissions. We’ve all been prioritizing who we test, we need to prioritize the same way. There is only a limited amount of testing.
The testing tiers have had some small adjustments made. There will be a new order to impact those postponed procedures and surgeries. Re-evaluation of these individual cases should be done, no one should be left suffering. Please reach out to your provider to ask and work through this together. On the coronavirus.ohio.gov site there is information on how you can mail or send artwork to ODH to brighten their working atmosphere.
Ohio Confirmed Cases: 13,609
Ohio Probable Cases: 508
Ohio Total Confirmed plus Probable: 14,117
Ohio Hospitalizations: 2,882
ICU Admissions: 880
Ohio Confirmed COVID Deaths: 584
Ohio Probable COVID Deaths: 26
Wood County Cases (total plus probable): 98
Wood County Hospitalizations: 40
Wood County Long Term Care Cases: 57
Wood County Deaths: 13
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:
An abbreviated version of this report can be found at: http://woodcountyema.org/covid-19/ .
Thank you to the citizens who have answered the call for help and donated homemade masks. Also, please contact us if you have PPE to donate, if you have any PPE needs or have any questions. EMA and public health have been reaching out to areas of concern and identified “hotspots” in the county to ensure their PPE supply is adequate to meet the needs of the situation. We continue to accept, inventory, and fulfill PPE resource requests.
Working with the Ohio EMA to secure additional PPE for the county. The N95 masks being sent to Battelle for sanitization have been holding up very well. Battelle is continuing to run tests on these masks as they come back several times to ensure their integrity and safety.
Ohio Emergency PPE Maker’s Exchange is an available online resource to share and purchase personal protective equipment created through the ingenuity of Ohio manufacturers who have answered the call to help. https://repurposingproject.sharetribe.com/
Maumee Bay Brewing is offering hand sanitizer 1 gallon/day to responders and healthcare agencies. This is available between 12 to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, you need an ID and a clean gallon jug.
Public Health:
There are 13,609 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ohio. There are 98 cases (total confirmed plus probable) presently in Wood County, 40 of those hospitalized, 57 in long term care, and 13 deaths. 87 counties impacted.
Health department staff are answering calls regarding testing, essential business concerns, employee safety, the stay-at-home order and many other questions. Case follow-up and close contact tracing is being coordinated by a team of employees.
Wood County residents who feel they may have coronavirus are encouraged to complete a survey that will help local public health better track the illness. The survey, a partnership with Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, Fulton County Health Department and the University of Toledo, is meant to create a better understanding of COVID-19 in Northwest Ohio. Wood County residents are asked to report coronavirus symptoms at https://tinyurl.com/WoodCountyCOVID19 .
Healthcare:
Please realize that our agency is continually taking in donations and pushing out resource requests. Constant communication is needed with us to make sure your staff is safe. If we have told you we were low on something in previous communications, this can always change due to donations and procurement. Continue to check back with us. If any healthcare facilities are running low on supplies, or have any questions or needs please reach out. We are always looking for information on what is going on in your facility so we can anticipate future needs. woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us .
Law Enforcement/Fire/EMS:
Many PPE requests have been submitted and addressed. If you have a need, please put in a formal request in writing to: woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us . Please realize that our agency is continually taking in donations and pushing out resource requests.
Wood County Health Department is implementing a new procedure for testing symptomatic first responders or their immediate household family members through UTMC. Requests for testing must be sent by the Chief to FRCovid19@co.wood.oh.us and include the following information:
1. Name of first responder or immediate household contact
2. Place(s) where they work
3. DOB
4. Address
5. Phone number of first responder
6.Signs/Symptoms
Wood County Board of Elections:
If you haven’t already done so, it’s not too late to request an absentee ballot to vote by mail in the 2020 Primary Election. Request an absentee ballot or get find more information more at https://www.co.wood.oh.us/BOE/ or https://VoteOhio.gov. Once you receive your ballot and fill it out, it must be postmarked by April 27 or it may be dropped off at the Wood County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on April 28.
Wood County Commissioners:
Please Call Before You Come ‐ The Courthouse Complex remains open. However, access to many county offices and departments is restricted. To obtain phone numbers to county offices and departments, please access the county website: www.co.wood.oh.us To obtain information by phone, please call 419-354‐9000 or 1‐866‐860‐4140 (toll free). All visitors entering the Courthouse Complex should wear a mask, scarf, or other covering on their face prior to entering the building. This will become a requirement on Wednesday, April 29.
Please be prepared for this. Wood County is unable to provide masks to visitors. Additionally, all visitors will have their temperature taken and be asked several health questions before being permitted to proceed. If they have a fever greater than 100 degrees, they must wait while a representative of the office they wish to visit is contacted.
Public session of the board will occur on Tuesdays at 9:15 a.m. Thursday session meetings are canceled at this time. The commissioners will be participating in board session remotely by audio conference call. The conference call will be made available to the public in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room. Social distancing will be strictly enforced. Directions to participate in the teleconference will be posted with the weekly agenda on the County website. Minimal business will be handled in session during the public emergency.
Wood County Landfill:
The landfill is operating and accepting traffic from commercial haulers, contractors/businesses and municipalities, however the individual public drop‐off is closed at least through May 1, 2020.
Wood County Residential Recycling Drop‐Off Sites:
The Wood County Residential Recycling Drop‐Off Sites are open. The county is experiencing increased usage at all of the sites. The county requests that individuals place only allowable materials in the bins and refrain from placing excess materials on the ground. People placing items on the ground may be cited by local law enforcement for littering. If the bins are full, the site is closed. The bins are emptied weekly on Wednesday. Please be respectful of our host communities and other people by helping to keep the sites clean and orderly. To obtain information about the residential recycling program and rules of operation, please access the Solid Waste District website: www.recyclewoodcounty.org
Wood County District Public Library:
We’re having a virtual Coffee Talk book discussion. Join us via Zoom on Wednesday, April 29, at 11 a.m., for a virtual discussion about the book “Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins” by Katarina Bivald available on Hoopla. It’s a great opportunity to connect with other readers. To register for this online Zoom discussion email woodref@wcdpl.org and we will send you the video discussion information.
National
This year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week is on April 20-24, and serves as an important reminder that, despite a global public health emergency, construction is moving forward on America’s roads. Drivers should always be mindful of workers in highway construction areas throughout the year. In 2018, the most recent year for which data are available, 754 people died in highway work-zone crashes.
McDonald’s is giving out free “Thank you Meals” starting Wednesday, to show their appreciation. The offer lasts through Tuesday, May 5. Healthcare workers and first responders can get a free breakfast, lunch, or dinner by showing their work badge or ID.
Local
The Pemberville Free Fair, which just celebrated 75 years in 2019, will be canceled this summer, because of coronavirus.
“Toledo Plus One” allows you to pick up the tab for lunch or dinner for police officers, firefighters and hospital workers in Lucas and Wood counties. At the same time, you’ll be helping a local restaurant.
Here’s how it works. You make a donation on the Toledo Plus One website. The money then goes into a fund at the Toledo Community Foundation. From there, it is given to the local restaurants providing those meals. Restaurants that are part of the program include: Mancy’s Steakhouse, Mancy’s Italian, Mancy’s Bluewater Grille, Shorty’s, Stubborn Brother Pizza, Souk Mediterranean, The Beirut, Ciao!, The Real Seafood Co., Zia’s and The Chop House. The hope is to add other local restaurants to that list.
Administrative Information:
Any information and contributions your agency has for this report is valuable to maintain a common operating picture and situational awareness for the county as a whole.
Please reach out to our office via phone or email (email preferred) to share information.
EOC Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Requesting support: Call Wood County EMA at 419-354-9269 or email
woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us
ODH Call line: 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634)
www.coronavirus.ohio.gov
