Loveland, Ohio – Hamilton County is now in the the highest level of the Ohio Public Health Advisory System.
Level 4, or Purple, is the highest level of the Ohio Public Health Advisory System. When a county reaches Purple, it means it has met at least six of seven indicators of concern for COVID-19 spread for at least two consecutive weeks. Hamilton County has now met all seven indicators of concern.
“Residents should only leave home for supplies and services.“
These measures are indicators of disease spread in the community; disease severity; community concerns about health and the virus; hospital burden; and capacity to manage a possible surge in critical COVID-19 patients.
- New cases per capita: There have been more than 50 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks.
- Sustained increase in new cases: At some time during the past three weeks, there were at least five consecutive days when the number of cases (by onset date) increased.
- Proportion of cases not in a congregate setting: The proportion of cases among people who are not residents of long-term care facilities, group homes, jails or prisons has been more than 50% in at least one of the past three weeks.
- Sustained increase in emergency department (ED) visits for COVID-19-like illness: At some time during the past three weeks, there were at least five consecutive days when the number of COVID-19 ED visits increased.
- Sustained increase in outpatient visits for COVID-like illness: At some time during the past three weeks, there were at least five consecutive days when the number of people making COVID-19 healthcare visits increased.
- Sustained increase in new COVID-19 hospital admissions: At some time during the past three weeks, there were at least five consecutive days when COVID-19 hospital admissions increased.
- Intensive care unit (ICU):* The percentage of occupied ICU beds in the region was above 80% for at least three days during the past week, AND more than 20% of ICU beds were being used for COVID-19 patients for at least three days during the past week.
*Meeting this indicator has been rare because hospitals have been able to make accommodations to meet increased numbers of COVID-19 ICU patients. However, if COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to increase, staffing and resources may not be able to keep up, putting the care of all hospitalized patients (COVID-19 and non-COVID-19) in jeopardy.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and Lt. Governor Jon Husted today provided this updates on Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PHASE 1B VACCINATIONS
Governor DeWine today highlighted the vaccine distribution timeline for Phase 1B of Ohio’s vaccination program, which is set to begin next week for those ages 80 and up.
Week of January 18: Vaccine providers will begin receiving their first allotment of vaccines for those ages 80 and older. Vaccines will be delivered on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Each provider will begin administering vaccines the day after they receive their shipment. All vaccines must be distributed within seven days.
Week of January 25: Vaccinations are anticipated to begin for those ages 75 and up following the same process outlined above. Vaccinations will also be available to those with severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset medical disorders. Additional information on how these individuals can choose to receive their vaccines is forthcoming.
Week of February 1: Vaccinations are anticipated to begin for those ages 70 and up following the same process outlined above.
Week of February 8: Vaccinations are anticipated to begin for those ages 65 and up following the same process outlined above.
“When a new age range opens, that does not mean vaccinations will be complete for the previous age range,” said Governor DeWine. “Vaccinating Ohioans in Phase 1B will take a number of weeks given the limited doses available.”
Beginning tomorrow, Ohioans aged 80 and up can find additional information about providers administering vaccines by calling their local health department or visiting their local health department website.
Additionally, the Ohio Department of Health will launch a tool tomorrow morning on coronavirus.ohio.gov to assist residents looking for a provider that has been allotted vaccines.
The tool will be searchable by zip code or county, but it will not be updated in real-time. It is critical that those eligible to receive a vaccine consult local resources to determine up-to-date vaccine availability.
“Providers throughout the state are developing systems that work best for them in terms of scheduling and administering vaccinations,” said Governor DeWine. “As we continue to rollout additional vaccination groups, we will work with our local partners, and modify the process as needed.”
The Ohio Department of Health is in the process of developing a state vaccination scheduling system. Additional information is forthcoming.
NURSING HOME VACCINATIONS
Governor DeWine announced that Ohio is imminently close to completing the administration of the first round of COVID-19 vaccines in skilled nursing facilities.
“When we started distributing the vaccine in Ohio, one of our first goals was to vaccinate our most vulnerable in our nursing facilities,” said Governor DeWine.
Ohio partnered with four pharmacies through the Federal Pharmacy Partnership in distribution of the vaccine to skilled nursing facilities. These facilities are a part of Phase 1A.
Absolute has administered 100% of the first round of COVID-19 vaccines as assigned.
As of yesterday, CVS has administered 97% of the first round of COVID-19 vaccines at the 478 assigned facilities. It is anticipated CVS will finish the administration of doses this week.
Pharm Script has completed 61 of 63 assigned facilities, and will complete the administration of doses today.
Walgreens has completed 95% of the first round of COVID-19 vaccines at the 398 assigned facilities.
Within the Federal Pharmacy Partnership, Ohio, with 3.6% of the U.S population, has administered more than 8% of the vaccines in this program nationwide. This is above the anticipated pace of administering the vaccine.
OHIO COUNTY COVID DATA
A county-by-county breakdown outlining the presence of COVID-19 in all of Ohio’s 88 counties can be found on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System’s website.
All 88 counties have a level of spread that is at least three times more than what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers high incidence.
Governor DeWine also discussed key measurements regarding incidence cases per 100,000 residents over two weeks, as well as regional COVID-19 ICU utilization.
“We saw new cases per capita at the statewide level increase since last week, which indicates that COVID-19 continues to spread in both urban and rural communities throughout Ohio,” said Governor DeWine
CURRENT CASE DATA
In total, there are 807,293 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio and 9,990 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 42,491 people have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic, including 6,289 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Video of today’s full update, including versions with foreign language translation, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel’s YouTube page.
For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.
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