“Let’s not share the virus. Let’s not give the gift that keeps on giving for many weeks, potentially into the future, especially for our more at-risk family members,” Patterson said. “We really encourage people to stay in their bubble. Everyone has their own social bubble, that bubble has gotten much smaller in COVID, and we encourage people to continue to stay in that.”
Patterson said he understands that this time of year is already about “balance,” for people struggling with mental health issues, many of which may have been made worse by the pandemic and spending extending periods of time away from family and friends.
“I’ll tell you, there is no doubt that my staff will tell you, my mental health is not at its peak either because of the virus and the time we have spent on this and the time we have spent away from family and friends,” Patterson said. “We should all just be patient.”
One thing people have to look forward to in the new year is the potential of returning to “what we all call normal,” with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, Patterson said.
Springfield Regional Medical Center was among the first 10 hospitals in Ohio to receive the first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. The shipment contained 975 doses of the vaccine that were all given to front-line health care personnel over the last three days.
Next week, the CCCHD, and other local health departments across the state, are slated to receive their own vaccines to be given to Emergency Management Service (EMS) personnel.
Patterson said those vaccines should arrive sometime next week, and as of Friday, the health district has those vaccinations planned for Wednesday and Thursday. Those vaccinations will take place at the former JCPenney’s building in the Upper Valley Mall, which the Board of Clark County Commissioners voted this week to allow the health district to use.
“There is a vaccine coming. We are within a couple of months of starting to be in a place where most of our at-risk individuals in our community are fully protected with the vaccine,” Patterson said. “By July we should have significant progress in getting people vaccinated and significant progress in getting back to what we all call normal, whatever that new normal is going to be.”
Clark County had a total of 7,973 cases, 200 deaths and four probable deaths of the coronavirus as of Friday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
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