Wood County EMA update on local and state COVID response

Wood County Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operation Center’s Situation Report on COVID-19 Response for June 16.

Executive Summary:

Gov. Mike DeWine – Talked about the Ohio Summer Food Service Program, in which children under 18 receive free healthy meals For more information: 866-3HUNGRY. http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Student-Supports/Food-and-Nutrition/Summer-Food-Service-Program?fbclid=IwAR2PgX2gAgbDrKp65ulgsFKSXfmIyb2-eoin8yoB17XoVlw6By3k5QMRPbI

A corrections officer of 18 years at the Lake Erie Correctional died from COVID. This is the fifth COVID-related death of a prison employee in Ohio. Numbers have remained pretty “flat” for over a month now.

Over the past several weeks we have talked about the R0. The R0 is the speed at which the virus is spread. Without interventions it was at 2.5. In March, it was 2. Recent data shows it is currently at 0.87. This data does lag behind a little bit. Region 1 (our region) is at 0.65. 

A total of 565,034 tests have been done to date in Ohio. Testing importance: last week we announced an effort to bring pop up testing sites to underserved areas of Ohio. The pop up testing is free of charge, no appointment needed. The schedule and location for these sites are at coronavirus.ohio.gov. 

Ohio is requesting 3.1B in credit from the Department of Labor for unemployment. Money is needed to be borrowed in the form of a line of credit so that we can pay out obligated unemployment benefits. Other states have had to do this as well (California, Texas, and more). Historically, this is not the first time we have done this. 

Houses of worship have not been required to be closed at all during the pandemic. We do encourage folks to be cautious during in person services. The suggested best practices can be found at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

These are not requirements, but are best practices. DeWine discussed that it is important to seek medical care if it is needed- do not delay seeking care because you are fearful of the environment.

DeWine and the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic discussed the safeguards that have been put into place to ensure the safety for patients entering and seeking care within the hospital environment.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted – Fraud warning; there are some people out there trying to take advantage of others during this crisis. Some people are being aggressively solicited. In a recent survey, 29% of consumers say they have been targets of digital fraud related to COVID-19. Some of the scammers are filing fake unemployment claims on behalf of real individuals who have not lost their jobs. Ohio has seen this as well, at least 3,000 attempts in our state. Also official looking notices stating you have been overpaid and owe money back to the government have been sent out. Please try to look into all things that seem suspect before giving away any personal information. Resources:  coronavirus.ohio.gov  search for “checklist,” Com.ohio.gov/consumerprotection, Ohioprotects.org, Insurance fraud claims can be taken care of through the Ohio Department of Insurance.

Ohio Confirmed Cases: 38,911

Ohio Probable Cases: 3,099

Ohio Total Confirmed plus Probable: 42,010

Ohio Hospitalizations: 7,007

ICU Admissions: 1,784

Ohio Confirmed COVID Deaths: 2,362

Ohio Probable COVID Deaths: 235

*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): 328

Wood County Hospitalizations: 66

Wood County Long Term Care Cases: 198

Wood County Deaths: 51

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 – Over the past 24 hours, ODH reported 428 (41,576) total new cases, 53 (6,948) hospitalizations, 14 (1,776) ICU Admissions and 16 (2,573) deaths; all reported metrics were below their respective 21-day averages. No additional hot spots were identified during clinical zone calls. ODH continues to monitor 10 previously identified hot spots. The EOC executed a statewide push of PPE. State partners are being surveyed on available warehouse space to support the receipt and storage of future PPE stock.

The Wood County EMA has cloth masks available 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, or 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.

Public Health:

There are 38,911 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ohio. There 328 are cases (total confirmed plus probable) presently in Wood County, 66 of those are or have been hospitalized, 198 in long-term care, 51 deaths.

Wood County Health Department inspectors concentrated on establishments in Walbridge, Northwood and Perrysburg for the week of May 26-29. They also visited locations in Grand Rapids, Pemberville, Bowling Green and North Baltimore.

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

Healthcare:

Wood County Hospital: To limit potential hospital personnel and staff’s exposure to COVID-19, individuals with suspected COVID-19 will be escorted through the hospital on a separate route than those without.

For other agency resource requests, please contact us at: woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us .

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.

Wood County Parks:

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.

BGSU:

Now publishing a situation report once/week.

The university has been working diligently to create a process to provide priority consideration for alternative work arrangements for employees who may be at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You can learn more about the specific eligibility definitions on the CDC website or by accessing the Step 1 request form below. The process is also available for employees who live in the same household with a person who is at higher risk under the same definition. 

Wood County Fair:

2020 open fair entries will be opened today. There will be no open livestock entries for 2020 and all pPremiums for open static entries will be ribbon only unless the class has a sponsor. With these changes we are able to move forward with the 2020 fair. 

Wood County Historical Museum:

The Wood County Museum will re-open for self-guided tours on Monday, July 6, and will resume regular hours of weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekends from 1 to 4 p.m. (closed on public holidays). New cleaning procedures have been put in place, and patrons are required to wear a mask or facial covering, and practice proper social distancing while inside the building to help curb any spread of potential COVID-19. A complete list of the museum’s new exhibits and amenities can be found at woodcountyhistory.org

Wood County JFS:

K-12 Fitted for Success Program: The agency is now accepting applications for the K-12 Fitted for Success program. 700 children who live in Wood County will be provided with backpacks filled with grade appropriate school supplies, new shoes and socks and winter clothing items which may include coats, hats and gloves. Assistance is provided on a first come/first serve basis. Proof of household income, Birth Certificates or other proof of citizenship and Social

Social Security cards for all family members as well as verification of school enrollment for children must be provided. Families must have an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level to qualify. For a family of four, this is about $4,300 or less in gross income per month. The income amount varies based on family size. Applications should be received by Aug.7, but will be accepted until 700 children are approved. Assistance will be distributed to approved families in August. Please complete the contact form to request an application. Applications will be sent to you by mail. You may also call 419-376-3488.

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. to 4:30 p.m.

We do not answer phones during the governor’s press conference. Please feel free to send an email during those times or leave a message and we will get back to you when we are able to.

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

An abbreviated version of this report can be found at: http://woodcountyema.org/covid-19/ .