Wood County Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operation Center’s Situation Report on COVID-19 Response for May 14
Executive Summary:
Gov. Mike DeWine – This week is national police week. He thanked all of those in law enforcement. Honored those killed in the line of duty this year with a moment of silence. Invited the public to fly their flags this Saturday in support of military personnel.
Childcare: the past few weeks we have been working with the experts. We do not have great data in regard to childcare and COVID-19. Our goal is to do everything we can to protect the children, the workers, and all of the families. We want to have the safest childcare system in the nation. As of May 31 childcare providers can reopen. This is with reduced numbers of children in each classroom, intensified handwashing protocols, and more.
Research project being conducted in childcare settings that Ohio is going to participate in. This is to gather data to help inform our decisions moving forward. There will be $60 million in CARES act funding to pay Ohio childcare centers to help fund the safety measures and reduced class size. This will be posted on Ohio Department of Jobs and Family services website soon. Thanked all the childcare caregivers for what they do. There will be no press conference tomorrow.
Joni Close – childcare changes: providers might be wearing masks, parents might be asked to wear masks, daily temperature taking will be routine, hand washing upon entering. May be escorted to their classroom. Numbers of children per classroom will be reduced heavily. Cleaning will intensify as well. Handwashing of caregivers and children will happen often throughout the day.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted- Several reopening updates: Day camps will open May 31. Protocols and ratios will be released by the end of the day tomorrow for this. BMVs will open on May 26. There are certain services available online you should take advantage of if able. Oplates.com to access these services.
Campgrounds will be open completely May 21, and they have to meet certain requirements. Gyms and fitness centers can reopen May 26 guidance will be on the website today on the protocols you must meet.
Sports leagues – non contact or limited contact sports – reopen May 26. Pools regulated by local health departments can reopen May 26 as well. No evidence virus can be spread through the water. Disinfection should inactivate the virus in water.
Waterparks and amusement parks are not allowed to open under this guidance as of yet. May 22 horse racing allowed to resume, spectators are prohibited. Casinos and racinos are not yet allowed to open. These things may open, that does not mean that they have to open.
Dr. Amy Acton – 231,000 tested. Trends remain plateaued. We did see an increase of 100 in the hospitalizations in the last 24 hours. We are working a lot with on how we implement testing in the broadest way possible within the state.
Ohio Confirmed Cases: 24,800
Ohio Probable Cases: 1,557
Ohio Total Confirmed plus Probable: 26,357
Ohio Hospitalizations: 4,718
ICU Admissions: 1,268
Ohio Confirmed COVID Deaths: 1,388
Ohio Probable COVID Deaths: 146
Wood County Cases (total plus probable): 230
Wood County Hospitalizations: 59
Wood County Long Term Care Cases: 184
Wood County Deaths: 42
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- There are no ongoing significant impacts to critical infrastructure. ESF-11 reports that all major pork processing plants impacting Ohio’s processing are operating across both the state and the nation. Total confirmed cases, deaths, and hospitalizations continue to increase.
Statewide bed and ventilator capacity are projected to meet 30-day medical forecast needs.
Current models show statewide medical capacity capable of handling COVID-19 stressors.
Efforts are continued to prevent hotspots, and additional PPE is being located as needed. Two
PPE pushes have occurred this week.
The federal government has given Ohio a shipment of Remdesivir, a drug that’s being used experimentally to treat COVID-19 patients. The shipment, which arrived Tuesday, included 20 cases of the drug — enough to treat 100 patients. The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Hospital Association will work together in determining how the drug will be distributed.
Social engineering tricks victims into providing personal information to cyber attackers. Phishing emails disguise themselves as emails from reputable companies or individuals in an attempt to trick victims into providing personal information. Users should be cautious when asked to share passwords and credit card information. Phishing does not only come in the form of emails. Phishing has also been observed in phone calls, voicemail messages, and text messages. Cyber security firm Barracuda USBUS revealed 9,116 COVID-19 themed emails were identified between March 1 and March 23, 2020 — a 667% increase over the 1,188 attacks detected in February 2020. By comparison, the security firm spotted just 137 COVID-themed email campaigns in January 2020.
Never click on links within unexpected text messages. Always inspect the sender of an email or text message. If you do not know the sender and are not expecting the communication, reach out to the sender’s organization for confirmation that the email is legitimate. Do NOT call any phone numbers in an unknown email or text. Cyber actors may “spoof” their phone number to impersonate one belonging to a legitimate person or organization. Always look for spelling or grammatical errors in suspicious emails or text messages that may further identify them as malicious. Upon receiving a suspicious text or email, contact the IT Help Desk to look into the email if you have any doubt.
An abbreviated version of this report can be found at: http://woodcountyema.org/covid-19/ .
Also, please contact us:
– If you have PPE to donate, if you have any PPE needs or have any questions.
– 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.
Thank you Fiat/Chrysler for the donation of surgical masks.
Businesses looking for large suppliers of cloth masks can contact Skyrocket/BiG Fab Labs at 419-466-0668 or kevin@skyrocketbox.com .
We are working with local dentist offices and doctors’ offices in locating PPE as they open back up.
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/
Public Health:
There are 24,800 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ohio. There are 230 cases (total confirmed plus probable) presently in Wood County, 59 of those hospitalized, 184 in long term care, 42 deaths.
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. Wood County residents are asked to report coronavirus symptoms at https://tinyurl.com/WoodCountyCOVID19 .
Healthcare:
For formal resource requests, please contact us at: woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us .
Happy National Hospital Week. Thank you to all of our healthcare heroes for your dedication. If an agency doesn’t have fit test capability and they need staff fit tested, Wood County Hospital Ready Works does fit testing for N95 masks. The cost is $25/person. They need to bring their own mask, schedule in advance 419-373-4162, complete a questionnaire, and takes about 15 minutes per person.
Law Enforcement/Fire/EMS:
This week is National Police Week. This week we celebrate and thank all local, state, and federal peace officers, who put their life on the line, every day to protect our communities. It also pays tribute to those peace officers who have died, or who have been disabled, in the line of duty. Thank you to all police officers.
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
Wood County Parks District
Wood County Park District parks and preserves are open daily from 8 a.m. until 30 minutes past sunset. Observe social distancing of 6-10 feet from anyone who does not live in a household. Restrooms are open. Park-goers are asked to wear a mask inside the restroom. Through June 22, playgrounds and facilities are closed, programs and events are canceled, and park district headquarters are closed to the public.
Wood County Board of Elections:
Results remained the same, as the Wood County Board of Elections certified the results for the March 17 Primary Election at a Thursday meeting. After the unofficial vote tally was released on April 28, there were an additional 196 provisional ballots and 90 absentee ballots. The new total count is 19,174 votes cast, making a 21.06% turnout. There were no changes in the results for winning candidates or issues.
BGSU:
Publishing a situation report twice/week.
Bowling Green State University will host a live, virtual celebration for spring degree candidates May 16. The livestream will begin at 1:30 p.m. Students, family and friends can view the stream at BGSU.edu .
BGSU said its plan is to open in the fall, but the administration and leadership understands the need to be flexible and consider online and remote options. In addition to social distancing and health monitoring, BGSU dining facilities will change how they serve food and accommodate seating.
It is the final week of Meals for Hometown Heroes and BGSU Athletics is partnering with Jimmy John’s to feed Meijer, Walmart and Kroger workers on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. Please click the link below to provide a free meal for these hometown heroes. For every meal purchased you will receive a FREE ticket to BGSU Football’s 2020 home opener on Saturday, Sept. 12. You can be a part of the fight and help make a difference.
Local:
Bowling Green Recycling Center reopened late Wednesday afternoon. Some containers are now outside to provide sufficient space inside the building. Recyclers are asked to practice social distancing and masks are recommended. Public access to the building is limited to the 24-hour drop off area. Emptying drop off containers may require blocking of the driveway for a few minutes to maintain distancing. If that occurs people are requested to wait in their cars for the five to 10 minutes it will take. This cannot be scheduled as volumes are unpredictable. Bulk cardboard commercial loads can still be delivered to the baler pit. Bulk delivery of commercial materials (shredded paper, restaurant steel cans, office paper, etc.) will require unloading outside into containers provided by BGRC at the southeast overhead door.
Wood County District Public Library Begins No Contact Curbside Pick-Up! Starting Monday, May 18 patrons of the Wood County District Public Library can pick up materials they have requested at both library locations. To use the service, patrons call 419-352-5050 to request items for pick-up in Bowling Green. To request items for pick-up at the Walbridge library, patrons call 419-666-9900. Hours for pick-up service in Bowling Green are 9-5 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and 10-6 on Thursday and Friday. Hours for pick-up service at the Walbridge library are 9-1 Monday and Wednesday, and 2-6 on Tuesday and Thursday. Patrons can also place requests using the library’s catalog at https://wcdpl.org/ .
The St. Aloysius Food Pantry in Bowling Green is open and operating at its normal hours – weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon, and from 1 to 3 p.m. The pantry is located at the church office at 150 S. Enterprise St., but please access the pantry at the Clough Street parking lot/office entrance. In this time of COVID-19, our volunteers are practicing the appropriate health recommendations of social distancing, facial coverings, frequent handwashing and disinfecting our carts. A pre-packed “bin” of pantry items, as well as fresh produce and bakery items, are available. No ID or proof of income required.
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
