LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: COVID dashboard

  • Clermont County Public Health: Exponential growth in the number of new COVID cases in Clermont County

    Clermont County Public Health: Exponential growth in the number of new COVID cases in Clermont County

    October 1 – 62 new cases per 100,000 residents

    November 12 – 410 new cases per 100,000 residents

    During the week of November 8-14, there was a 140 percent increase in the number of daily cases in Clermont County.

    The Loveland City School District reported 16 new COVID 19 CASES since last Wednesday.

    Batavia, Ohio – The number of new cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and Clermont County is increasing at an alarming rate according to a statement issued by the Clermont County health district today. The department reports a high of 186 new cases was reported in Clermont County on November 13 and the state of Ohio reported an all-time high of 8,071 new cases.

    As of November 12, when the latest public health advisory system numbers were released, Clermont County had a rate of 410 new cases per 100,000 residents. For comparison, on October 1, the county’s rate was only 62 new cases per 100,000 residents. During the week of November 8-14, there was a 140 percent increase in the number of daily cases in Clermont County.

    The exponential growth in the number of new cases in Clermont County has made it nearly impossible to keep up with disease investigation and contact tracing. “Up until this point, our goal has been to begin disease investigations within 24 hours of each new case being reported to us,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit.

    Warren County Health District “overwhelmed” with the rapid acceleration of new COVID-19 cases

    Loveland Magazine –  Nov 14, 2020

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    Disease investigations take time and involve a public health staff member calling each individual who has tested positive and get details like where they may have been exposed, every location they have been in the previous few days, and every person they may have been in contact with.

    After public health does their initial investigation, then they begin the process of contact tracing. That usually involves calling each person who was considered a close contact with the infected person and advising them to quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure.

    “We have hired additional contact tracers, but it’s still not enough to keep up with the demand,” said Nesbit. “Our staff is doing everything we possibly can to keep up with the new cases, we are physically and emotionally exhausted, but we are continuing to do this important work to the best of our ability to protect our community.”

    “Our staff is doing everything we possibly can to keep up with the new cases, we are physically and emotionally exhausted

    “We have hired additional contact tracers, but it’s still not enough to keep up with the demand,” said Nesbit. “Our staff is doing everything we possibly can to keep up with the new cases, we are physically and emotionally exhausted, but we are continuing to do this important work to the best of our ability to protect our community.”

    In addition to hiring additional contact tracers, Clermont County Public Health (CCPH) has been using staff members from every other department to fill in the gaps and assist with contact tracing. CCPH also has a contract with the Ohio Department of Health for additional contact tracers that are being cross-trained to assist with disease investigations.

    Public Health has switched from making phone calls in some situations to sending emails to provide information on quarantine to save time. Now, with this many new cases, they have also begun mailing letters to each person that tests positive to save time. Phone calls are still being made when CCPH is aware of situations where there are a large number of contacts and the potential for further spread of the disease.

    The letters notify each person that tests positive what to do while they are in isolation and asks them to identify their contacts, who are advised to quarantine. “We are seeing so many new cases, we just cannot possibly keep up at this rate,” said Nesbit.

    “Local hospitals are already being stressed,” said Nesbit. “While all hospitals have surge plans in place where they can add more beds and take in more patients, they are going to run out of healthy, experienced workers to care for the sick patients, if this trend continues.”

    A summary of local hospital data can be found at https://www.cctst.org/covid19

    “We saw in the spring that we can flatten the curve, but we must be extra vigilant now, especially with the holidays coming up,” urged Nesbit.

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    The Loveland City School District reported 16 new COVID 19 CASES since last Wednesday.

    • On 11/16/20, the district was notified that a student at the Loveland Early Childhood Center tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/12/20.

    • On 11/16/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/09/20.

    • On 11/16/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/13/20.

    • On 11/16/20, the district was notified that a non-teaching staff member from Transportation and Loveland Primary School tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member was last at work / school on 11/12/20.

    • On 11/13/20, the district was notified that a staff member at the Loveland Early Childhood Center tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member was last at school on 11/10/20.

    • On 11/13/20, the district was notified that a Board of Education Central Office staff member tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member was last at work on 11/12/20.

    • On 11/14/20, the district was notified that a staff member at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member was last at school on 11/6/20.

    • On 11/12/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/4/20.

    • On 11/13/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/10/20.

    • On 11/13/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/5/20.

    • On 11/12/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/4/20.

    • On 11/13/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/10/20.

    • On 11/13/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/5/20.

    • On 11/12/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/9/20.

    • On 11/12/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last at school on 11/6/20.

    • On 11/12/20, the district was notified that a staff member at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member was last at school on 11/6/20.

    Loveland Schools COVID-19 Dashboard on 11-13-20

    The District does not publish quarantine data during the week, only on Fridays.

    Right-Click on the image and open in a new tab to see a larger view.

    What can you do to help?

    • Stay home if you are sick.
    • Quarantine yourself if you have been around someone who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
    • Wear a mask whenever you are in public.
    • Avoid large crowds.
    • Keep at least six feet of space between yourself and others.
    • Limit contact with people outside of your immediate household. If you are tested and receive a positive test result, you should:
      • Isolate yourself in your own home, away from others, as much as possible, for at least 10 days after your symptoms first appeared.
      • Notify each person you had direct contact with (defined as someone within six feet of you for a length of 15 minutes or longer within 24 hours) and ask them to quarantine in their house for 14 days after the potential exposure occurred. For more information or resources, visit the Ohio Department of Health’s coronavirus website at www.coronavirus.ohio.gov or Clermont County Public Health’s website at www.ccphohio.org.

  • A Community Right to Know: Will Loveland District report their COVID 19 data to the public?

    A Community Right to Know: Will Loveland District report their COVID 19 data to the public?

    David Miller is the Publisher of Loveland Magazine

    by David Miller

    In August when Loveland High School athletes and possibly a band student were tested positive and quarantined after testing positive for COVID 19  rumors quickly spread through the community, however, there was never any official acknowledgment, only a very brief, casual mention of it at a recent Board meeting. 

    Now that fall sports are underway and in-person instruction has begun, Loveland Magazine posed the following question to the District’s Information Officer yesterday:

    Is there a plan or will there be a plan to update the media in a real-time way when positive COVID 19 cases are in the school population? 

    The District’s answer seems to be maybe they will. The Superintendent says they are waiting for orders from Governor Mike DeWine.*

    It will be our right to know data the District collects. It is “our” data as tax-paying citizens. Projecting light on vital community health information is the surest disinfectant against rumor, speculation, and fear.

    Outbreaks in our schools may be the deadliest setting for the pandemic within our community.

    The District does not need open records COVID advice from the statehouse when choosing to let residents know about COVID spread in the community. It’s common sense to allow citizen’s in on the data so they can also help stop the spread.

    The local departments of health already releases data daily on a dozen different aspects of coronavirus cases, including the home ZIP codes of people with positive tests. The District should and can do the same. 

    Perhaps there is a reluctance to report bad news as if it would be bad publicity or perceived as a failure of policy of their diligent hard work keeping COVID out of classrooms. Not so. COVID is here and the public needs to feel confidant that the District who has gathered so many into classrooms will report to the greater community of our vulnerable population if there is a community spread from the local petri dish.

    Disclosing real-time/point of entry data would help all families make informed decisions. Parents, guardians, and childcare providers have a right to know if cases are increasing rapidly in the school district. 

    It’s a simple choice, either be 100% transparent or not. No advice from DeWine can prevent the District from immediately disclosing data that doesn’t compromise the privacy of students or staff or adhering to privacy restrictions that FERPA and HIPAA require.

    We’d have wished the Superintend had made an unconditional and unequivocal commitment to release real-time communication to district residents when COVID CASES are discovered in the classrooms and offices.

    Loveland citizens and Tigers alike can handle the truth and as always won’t run from you… they have proven all Summer long they won’t run from you if you get COVID.

    * Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse responded:

    When there is a positive case, our health team gathers the facts of the case, including the identifying information of those students and staff who have had close contact with the positive case (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more). The district sends a notice of the positive case to the appropriate school/program based on the contact criteria. The district also works closely with the Hamilton County Department of Health to complete the requirements for contact tracing.

    Details of our health protocols are posted on our website and updated as needed.

    https://www.lovelandschools.org/NewHealthProtocols.aspx

    We are waiting on orders from the Governor for sharing our COVID data with the public. We have been discussing and planning for this COVID dashboard and will finalize our plan once we have the full details/order from the state.

    School Health Services Reopening Plans and Protocols