Special to 1812Blockhouse
Ohio State University President Kristina M. Johnson has shared her first safety update of the new semester, in which she urges students to look at all available resources, on and off campus and for the main and regional campuses, including OSU Mansfield. She also encouraged students to obtain COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.
“We’ve communicated quite a bit in the recent weeks about our efforts to remain vigilant in protecting ourselves and others from COVID-19. With the Omicron variant surging in Ohio, we are encouraging all eligible students, faculty and staff to get their booster and sign up immediately,” Johnson said in a new video (see below).
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Special to 1812Blockhouse
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is announcing plans to prioritize the state’s supply of COVID-19 tests to first support testing for K-12 schools and colleges/universities. This comes as the state is experiencing a delay in shipment of more than 800,000 testing kits amid a nationwide shortage in COVID-19 testing supplies.
ODH has been making available both the proctored rapid Abbott BinaxNow at-home antigen tests and over-the-counter self-administered tests free to Ohioans at local health departments, public libraries, schools, and other locations. Ohio was one of the first states to prioritize widespread distribution of free rapid testing kits and has distributed about 5.6 million free testing kits – 1.4 million in December alone.
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Special to 1812Blockhouse
University leaders delivered the following message to students, faculty and staff on Tuesday, January 4:
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
We hope you had a happy and healthy winter break.
As you know, the nation and state are experiencing a dramatic increase in COVID-19 infections due in large part to the Omicron variant. As we prepare to start the spring semester and welcome students back to campus for in-person instruction, Ohio State continues to adjust health measures based on the latest data as well as evolving guidance from national, state and local agencies.
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By 1812Blockhouse
It’s a cold and harsh fact that many north central Ohioans are testing positive for COVID-19 each day.
For many, this is not the first time that a family member or other co-resident has had a positive test. Most of us also know someone who has been diagnosed on more than one occasion.
Although we are nearing the two year anniversary of the arrival of the pandemic, it still makes sense to share reminders of precautions to take if that test is for you or someone in your home. To that end, Richland Public Health has reissued a set of guidelines on what to do in such circumstances.
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Special to 1812Blockhouse
Ohio State’s 92% vaccination rate against COVID-19 helped protect the university community during fall semester while resuming in-person traditions.
In advance of spring semester, the university is calling for another community-wide effort amid a nationwide surge of COVID-19 cases and emerging evidence about the new omicron variant, which is much more transmissible than previous strains of the virus.
Ohio State urges all students, faculty and staff to take action to ensure they have the strongest protection possible through vaccination. Anyone who is not fully vaccinated should do so, and all students, faculty and staff should receive a booster shot as soon as they are eligible.
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By 1812Blockhouse
This season has been an up and down one for COVID cases detected in and reported by Richland County school districts and buildings.
There’s some good news, however, in this last reporting date before some localities begin the winter break – after a week where reported cases quadrupled, this week they have fallen from a total of 251 to a total of 98.
The number of reporting locations also dropped this week, from 15 districts and buildings to 12.
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By 1812Blockhouse
Perhaps it is the presence of the word omicron in the news related to the current pandemic, but whatever the case, the rate of local vaccination has increased in recent days.
This includes those who received their very first COVID-19 vaccination.
In numbers released on Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Health and Richland Public Health, it was revealed that the weekly rate of first-time vaccinations approached 700 per week in the first part of December. From Monday to Tuesday, there were 60 first-time doses administered.
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By 1812Blockhouse
A week ago, we commented on numbers showing a continued decline in COVID-19 cases in Richland County school districts and buildings.
In numbers released by the Ohio Department of Health on that Thursday, December 2, it was reported that local districts had reported a total of 59 cases. Those cases included 44 students and 15 staff members. Those numbers, while high, represented the continuation of a period of apparent decline in virus among the County’s young people. They were reported from nine different locations.
On Thursday of this week, the numbers told a vastly different story – namely, over a four-fold increase in the space of seven days.
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By 1812Blockhouse
OhioHealth, the nonprofit health care chain with a substantial presence in Richland County, appears to be treading treacherous waters very carefully indeed.
Consider, for instance, a news release from OhioHealth dated December 2, and which references the new omicron variant while emphasizing on the need for vaccinations. “Nothing really changes what we’re doing. The best defense we have for infection, whether with this variant or the delta variant, still is to get vaccinated.”
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By 1812Blockhouse
While countywide COVID infection numbers continue to grow recently, the number of cases in Richland County schools and nursing facilities has decreased over the last month.
As reported by the Ohio Department of Health on Wednesday, the number of student and staff cases has seen a substantial decrease in the last six weeks.
A total of 70 new COVID cases were identified last week in Richland County Schools — of those, 54 were new student cases and 16 were reported for school staff positions.
More…Coronavirus, Featured, Public Health, Richland County Schools
Special to 1812Blockhouse
Avita Health System has increased patient access to monoclonal antibody infusion therapy at Galion Hospital. Treatment is available Monday – Friday for outpatients with COVID-19 infection, as well as patients with a confirmed exposure to the virus who meet the criteria for post-exposure preventative use.
“The FDA has extended the Emergency Use Authorization application for monoclonal antibody therapy,” explained Christina Barnes, Director of Pharmacy Services at Avita Health System. “As the supply has become more readily available, the criteria for therapy has changed, thus allowing us to offer treatment to an increased number of patients.
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By 1812Blockhouse
RIchland Public Health has released its overview of the COVID-19 pandemic’s local, state, national, and global impact impact. This informational synopsis is provided on select days each month.
The next update will be forthcoming on Friday, October 22.
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By 1812Blockhouse
From record highs, Richland County schools are now experiencing a rather sharp decline in reported infections of COVID-19 for children and staff.
When the Ohio Department of Health shared updated numbers on Thursday, Richland County districts and individual buildings reported a total of 125 infections in the last week in fourteen school settings. Two weeks ago, that number stood at over twice that amount. Then there were 15 districts or buildings, led by a reported 118 cases in Mansfield City Schools.
More…Coronavirus, Featured, Public Health, Richland County Schools
By 1812Blockhouse
The latest numbers for reported cases of COVID among Richland County schools were shared by the Ohio Department of Health on Thursday.
Those figures show a sizable decrease in case levels for both students and staff. In a similar fashion, the number of cases reported in the county’s long-term care facilities (nursing homes, assisted living centers) remained low.
As shared on Thursday, there were 173 positive COVID test results reported on September 30, as compared to 267 reported the previous week, and 279 earlier in the month. This overall figure included 149 students and 24 staff members in 16 districts or buildings — one more than the previous week.
More…Coronavirus, Featured, Public Health, Richland County Schools
By Jake Zuckerman, Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio children have elevated levels of lead in their blood at more than two times the national rate, according to a study released Monday.
The research, from JAMA Pediatrics, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association, found about 5.2% of Ohio children have elevated levels of lead in their system.
Nationally, the rate is about 1.9%. Ohio ranked second nationally in terms of states with the highest rates of children with elevated blood levels.
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