As a result of being placed on the watch list, Clark County Combined Health District Commissioner Charles Patterson said he is begging county residents to flatten the COVID-19 curve in the county by limiting their contact with people outside of their households.
“I am pleading with the people of Clark County to help us slow the spread,” Patterson said.
The state’s advisory system ranges from level 1 or yellow as lowest to level 4 or purple as highest and most severe. No county has received the purple rating. Hamilton and Cuyahoga counties are the other two counties at risk of moving up to level 4.
ODH uses seven indicators when judging what level to give a county. On Thursday, Clark County hit six, the most the county has ever hit in a single week.
Indicators hit include new cases per capita, sustained increase in new cases, proportion of cases not in a congregate spread, sustained increase in emergency department visits for COVID-like illness, sustained increase in outpatient visits for COVID-like illness and sustained increase in new COVID hospital admissions. The only indicator the county did not hit is ICU bed occupancy.
Patterson said the indicators mean the county is experiencing a “high rate of spread.”
“We are not purple yet, the watch list simply means that if we hold steady at six indicators, or raise to seven, we will move to purple next week,” Patterson said. “In order for Clark County to not move up to purple, the whole county will need to work together to increase the number of individuals wearing masks, increase the distance between everyone, and decrease the amount of time spent with individuals outside of your home.”
Clark County had 2,494 cases, 67 deaths and four probable deaths of the coronavirus as of Thursday afternoon, according to ODH.
“Governor DeWine said ‘for those of you who have said that you will pay attention when it gets serious, that time has come.’ This is true for Clark County as well because in the 22 days, Clark County has had 30 deaths.”
DeWine said according to CCCHD officials, a “number” of the county’s COVID cases have come from long-term care facilities.
According to data from the CCCHD, as of Wednesday, four long-term care facilities in the county are currently in outbreak status: Allen View Healthcare Center (16 current resident cases, four current staff cases), Forest Glen Health Campus (27 current resident cases, 19 current staff cases), and Villa Springfield (25 current resident cases, three current staff cases) all facilities in Springfield and Vancrest at New Carlisle (three current resident cases, two current staff cases).
In addition to long-term care facility cases, DeWine said CCCHD officials have also noted many cases from “get-togethers.”
“But much of the spread in the community is coming from people getting together with friends just letting their guard down. We are seeing transmission throughout the county,” DeWine said.
Patterson said every “man, woman and child” can help slow the spread of the virus in the county by “limiting their close contact with people outside of their immediate household.”
Thursday marked the second straight week Clark County was given a level 3 ranking. Prior to that, the county spent seven straight weeks at a level 2.
The county saw a spike in visits to emergency departments with COVID-like illness or diagnosis between Oct. 3 and Oct. 12, according to ODH. During that time, the seven day average for emergency department visits went from 1.86 to 6.14.
Mirroring that trend, patients going to seeing a health care provider with COVID symptoms who then received a COVID confirmed or suspected diagnosis also went up between Oct. 7 and Oct. 15. During that time, the seven-day outpatient average went from 12.71 to 25.29, according to ODH.
There are 38 counties at level 3 across the state, including Montgomery County. Only four of Ohio’s 88 counties are at level 1.
“This is the highest number of red counties and the lowest number of yellow counties to date,” DeWine said. “That means that 74% of Ohioans are living in a red county. Only 1% are living in a yellow county.”
Ohio broke its daily coronavirus record for the second straight day with 2,425 reported between Wednesday and Thursday. That’s the fifth time that state has broken the daily case record in less than 10 days.
“Of the highest days of new cases reported, eight have occurred in just the past nine days,” DeWine said. “Nine have occurred in the month of October alone."
The state recorded 190,430 total cases and 5,161 total deaths on Thursday, according to ODH.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joined DeWine’s press conference to share his experience after testing positive for COVID-19.
“I thought I was safe. I was wrong,” said Christie who was hospitalized with the coronavirus after attending an event in the Rose Garden at the White House.
Christie described the virus as feeling like he was being beaten up “from the inside out.” He stressed the importance of wearing a mask, avoiding large groups and frequent hand washing.
“There is no place to hide from this virus if you don’t take the common-sense steps recommended to us,” Christie said.
Facts & Figures:
30: People currently hospitalized for COVID-19 in Clark County
108: Current number of cases attributed to Clark County long-term care facilities
3: Level Clark County is currently at on Ohio’s Public Health Advisory System
6: Indicators hit to determine a county’s Ohio Public Health Advisory System level
In-depth coverage:
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