As of Wednesday, Highland County has had a total of 224 lab-confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, according to the Highland County Health Department.
In a Facebook post last week, Highland County Health Commissioner Jared Warner stated that probable cases must “[meet] clinical criteria AND epidemiologic evidence with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19” or “[meet] presumptive laboratory evidence AND either clinical criteria OR epidemiologic evidence.”
“In almost every probable case that we have recorded, the case is a household contact of a lab-confirmed COVID-19 patient that got sick after exposure in the home. These cases often decline to be tested, either due to limited insurance coverage, not wanting to pay a doctor’s office visit fee, or just not seeing the point in testing,” Warner wrote. “Probable cases are included in our cumulative case count and are treated as if they are lab-confirmed, with the same isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine process.”
As of Wednesday, the health department had documented 20 probable cases in Highland County since the pandemic began.
The health department also reported that as of Wednesday there were currently 10 actively sick patients and one COVID-19-related hospitalization, and the health department is currently monitoring 26 people for symptoms.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak reached Highland County, there have been a total of 24 COVID-19-related hospitalizations three COVID-19-related deaths, and 211 patients have recovered from COVID-19.
According to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), which reported 206 cases in the county as of Wednesday, of the cases in Highland County:
* 36 cases involved 40- to 49-year-olds, three of whom were hospitalized.
* 35 cases involved 50- to 59-year-olds, three of whom were hospitalized.
* 32 cases involved 70- to 79-year-olds, eight of whom were hospitalized and one of whom later died.
* 32 cases involved 60- to 69-year-olds, four of whom were hospitalized.
* 29 cases involved 20- to 29-year-olds, one of whom was hospitalized.
* 19 cases involved 30- to 39-year-olds, one of whom was hospitalized.
* 19 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 two of whom later died.
* One case involved someone of an unknown age range.
As of Wednesday, there had been 132,965 total COVID-19 cases throughout Ohio since the pandemic began — 14,083 of which resulted in hospitalization and 4,324 of which resulted in death. A total of 111,201 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.
In news from the state, according to a Tuesday press release from the office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine:
* In response to rumors regarding Ohio’s latest non-congregate sheltering order, Governor DeWine stressed that there are no orders in Ohio to create “FEMA camps” to quarantine citizens against their will.
“This is not in our order, and there is no truth to the rumor,” DeWine said. “Families will not be separated, and kids will not be away from their loved ones.”
The order, which was first issued on March 31 and then renewed on April 29 and Aug. 31, creates a funding mechanism to allow for federal reimbursement for communities that choose to offer alternate locations for people to safely isolate or quarantine outside of their homes. If a citizen chooses to recover in a quarantine housing location, others in the household can remain at home and unexposed.
According to the press release, this option has been used in a handful of cases in Ohio.
* DeWine also announced that thousands of Ohio children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals are currently learning remotely will soon receive additional money to purchase nutritious foods through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program made possible by the Federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will issue this second round of benefits later this month to eligible children. The state previously issued more than $250 million in P-EBT benefits to more than 850,000 students through the program in the spring.
Parents do not need to apply to receive these benefits. The benefits will be automatically loaded onto existing Ohio Direction cards or a preloaded card will be sent in the mail.
For more information on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Reach McKenzie Caldwell at 937-402-2570.
