State Sees Fewer Red Counties; DeWine Announces Testing in Assisted Living Centers

While daily case growth moved back above 1,000 Thursday after a few days below that threshold, the latest update to the state’s health alert system showed more counties dropping out of the higher risk “red” category, including a couple of the most populous ones. Meanwhile, Gov. Mike DeWine announced a new testing mandate for assisted living centers and the planned reopening of adult day and senior centers.

The nine red counties are the fewest since the alert system launched several weeks ago, DeWine said at his regular COVID-19 briefing. Seven counties dropped from red to orange since last week, while four moved up into the red category -- Clark, Lorain, Preble and Trumbull.

Cuyahoga and Montgomery counties, home to two of Ohio’s largest cities, are among the seven that moved out of the red category, along with Brown, Fairfield, Licking, Marion and Muskingum.

Six counties have dropped from orange to yellow: Highland, Huron, Jefferson, Morgan, Richland and Ross.

COVID-19 cases reached 112,003 Thursday, increasing by 1,122 since Wednesday, compared to a 21-day average increase of 1,066. Deaths reached 3,929 after increasing by 22, compared to an average of 23. Hospitalizations reached 12,615 after increasing by 86, compared to an average of 92. Intensive care unit admissions reached 2,844 after increasing by 17, compared to an average of 15.

The governor announced he will issue an order requiring assisted living facilities to participate in a new testing initiative for staff and residents, after the state secured a vendor to provide saliva tests that can be self-administered under the supervision of medical personnel. He said often when a person in a facility tests positive, that means there are other COVID-positive residents there as well who might not be showing symptoms yet, so rapid identification of the infected via testing is important to slowing the spread of the virus.

DeWine also announced plans for adult day centers and senior centers to be able to reopen beginning Monday, Sept. 21, assuming reduced capacity and their ability to follow safety standards the state will be releasing. DeWine said he wanted to announce the date to give centers time to plan, but cautioned that the plan for reopening is subject to change depending on the situation with the virus.

LeadingAge Ohio, which represents nonprofit long-term care providers, welcomed the announcements, with qualifications.

“A baseline test in assisted living is critical to begin to better understand the spread of COVID-19 in these congregate settings, which serve an extremely vulnerable population. It is important to remember that this test is a simply a snapshot in time; a more strategic, long-term testing program is still the ultimate goal,” said a statement from spokesman Patrick Schwartz.

“Adult day services have been proven to delay nursing home admission for individuals with dementia, and allows caregivers to continue to work and engage in other activities. Today’s announcement that Ohio’s adult day centers will be allowed to reopen is long-anticipated and welcome news, but another month is a long time to wait given the preparation efforts of providers already underway and the needs of the older adults they serve. A July survey of Ohio adult day services providers conducted by LeadingAge Ohio reported that, since the March 21 closure, the care needs of participants served by Ohio’s adult day centers has increased, many participants have had to move to higher and more expensive levels of care, and family caregiver stress and anxiety have increased,” he said.

Another order is expected Friday on the reopening of performing arts facilities and activities, DeWine said.

DeWine also said Thursday he’s asked the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Board of Directors to approve another wave of dividend payments totaling $1.5 billion, saying the money could be critical to businesses struggling amid the pandemic. If approved, the payments could start going out in late October, he said. He is also asking the board to approve a second mass distribution of face masks to Ohio businesses.

As the new school year arrives, DeWine invited two superintendents to share their experiences, one in a district starting classes remotely, the other with students in classrooms five days per week.

Akron Schools Superintendent David James said the district had implemented a one-to-one device programs for all students a few years ago, so that has helped with remote learning. And he said the district learned from the rapid shift to remote instruction experienced in the spring, with plans for a more structured day for students in the fall.

James said several ZIP codes in the district have some of the highest rates of community spread for COVID-19, so the board of education decided it made the most sense to start the year remotely for the first nine weeks.

Belpre Schools Superintendent Jeff Greenley thanked DeWine for the flexibility granted to local schools to make their own reopening decisions. While Belpre is bringing students back five days per week, “we’re prepared to dial back” if Washington County’s health alert rating degrades, he said. The district is also offering a remote option for families who aren’t comfortable with in-person learning or who are at higher risk, and about a quarter of students have opted for that. He said the district’s educational service center helped to put together a consortium for online learning at the high school level, while at the elementary level, one of the four teachers in each grade level will be handling the remote students.

Greenley said Washington County’s status as a yellow county in the health alert system, as well as the lack of broadband access in areas of Southeast Ohio, factored into the decision to bring students back into classrooms.

On the topic of broadband, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted reminded school districts that Friday is the deadline to apply for matching grants under the new, $50 million broadband expansion initiative funded by CARES Act resources.

DeWine also invited Kristi Pennington, a mental health professional who works with students in Hocking County, to offer some pointers for families as they plan for the return to school, whether virtual or in-person. She said it’s important to discuss with students the new routines that will be needed, and to assure children it’s OK if they get corrected for not following the new rules. Regularly asking students about their health and potential symptoms will also be important, she said, noting students’ resistance to being questioned.

“It’s helpful if adults put aside their differences about whether they like the masks or don’t like the masks,” she said.

“If we want to be able to go back to school face-to-face as many days as possible, we’re going to have to do these things that are keeping us safe,” Pennington said.

“It’s really important to be flexible and forgiving of ourselves, and just try again tomorrow,” she said.

Asked about a recent request by advocacy groups to distribute more CARES money for rental assistance, food aid and other initiatives to help those struggling during the pandemic, DeWine said he’s taking it under consideration but said he also feels the need to reserve resources to improve COVID-19 testing as a means to tamp down spread of the virus.

“I’m not unmindful of the merit of the request ... but I think our fundamental goal has to be to keep the virus down, because nothing else can happen if we don’t keep the virus down,” he said.

Advocates for Ohio’s Future and other groups have asked DeWine to allocate about $243 million for the services. (See The Hannah Report, 8/17/20.)

Story originally published in The Hannah Report on August 20, 2020.  Copyright 2020 Hannah News Service, Inc.