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.)