Active COVID cases decrease

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Since the pandemic began, Highland County has had a total of 174 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, according to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).

Updated information from the Highland County Health Department was unavailable at press time.

On Friday, the health department reported a total of 183 lab-confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Highland County.

In a previous Facebook post, the health department stated that probable cases “includes clinical presentation, epidemiological link, or FDA-approved antigen/antibody test.” As of Friday, the health department had documented 13 such cases in Highland County since the pandemic began.

As of Friday, the health department reported that there are 25 patients who are actively sick and nine currently hospitalized in connection with COVID-19; a total of 156 patients have recovered.

On Friday, the Highland County Health Department said in a Facebook post that the number of active COVID-19 cases had dropped significantly.

“We are also down to only 64 people under quarantine,” the health department said Friday. “Let’s hope things continue moving this direction!

“If you happen to know Bonnie, Kate, Chasidy or Ebbie from our Public Health Nursing Department, tell them thank you for their hard work. They have literally been working around the clock to keep this county healthy, and we appreciate them so much!”

Last week, the health department reported the county’s second COVID-19-related death. The patient was a male in his 70s who passed away at the hospital.

The health department reported the first COVID-19-related death in Highland County on May 4. The first patient to die in connection with COVID-19 was a man in his 80s.

According to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), of the cases in Highland County as of Monday:

* 31 cases involved 40- to 49-year-olds, two of whom were hospitalized.

* 30 cases involved 50- to 59-year-olds, two of whom were hospitalized.

* 29 cases involved 60- to 69-year-olds, three of whom were hospitalized.

* 27 cases involved 70- to 79-year-olds, eight of whom were hospitalized and one of whom later died.

* 24 cases involved 20- to 29-year-olds, one of whom was hospitalized.

* 14 cases involved 30- to 39-year-olds, one of whom was hospitalized.

* 14 cases involved 0- to 19-year-olds, one of whom was hospitalized.

* Three cases involved someone 80 years old or older, all of whom were hospitalized and one of whom later died.

* Two cases involved someone of an unknown age range, one of whom was hospitalized.

As of Monday, there had been 109,062 total COVID-19 cases throughout Ohio since the pandemic began — 12,319 of which resulted in hospitalization and 3,832 of which resulted in death. A total of 87,764 patients are presumed recovered, which the ODH defines as cases that have over 21 days since the onset of COVID-19 symptoms and that did not result in death.

As of Thursday, Highland County remains at a level 2 public emergency, which represents increased COVID-19 exposure and spread, according to the ODH’s public health advisory system.

The ODH indicated that Highland County has met three risk indicators: the risk indicator for an increase in new cases per capita in the last two weeks, or “Indicator 1”; the risk indicator for the number of cases in a non-congregate setting, or “Indicator 3”; and the risk indicator for a sustained increase in the number of patients with COVID-like illness or symptoms visiting emergency departments, “Indicator 4,” which is flagged after a county experiences a sustained increase for five or more consecutive days.

For more information on the Ohio Department of Health’s public emergency risk indicators, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/OPHASM/Summary-Alert-Indicators.pdf.

Also on Thursday, Brown and Clermont counties were upgraded to level 3 public emergencies, which represent very high exposure and spread.

Adams and Pike counties were downgraded from level 2 to level 1 public emergencies, which represent active exposure and spread.

On Friday, the ODH released guidelines to wearing face shields during the pandemic, which stated that the CDC does not recommend wearing face shields. Instead, the guide recommends wearing masks that cover the wearer’s nose, mouth and chin.

The guide states, “At this time, it is not known what level of protection a face shield provides against the spray of respiratory droplets from the wearer to people nearby… It is understood that some circumstances (such as the need for lip reading) require an alternative to masks. If a face shield is used in those instances, it should be worn against the forehead with no gap, wrap around the sides of the face, and extend below the chin.”

To view the full guide, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/faqs/COVID-19-FAQs-Face-Shields.pdf.

For more information on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Reach McKenzie Caldwell at 937-402-2570.

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CDC no longer recommending use of face shields

By McKenzie Caldwell

[email protected]

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