COVID-19 curfew could be changed by governor

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Highland County Health Commissioner Jared Warner said that registration for COVID-19 vaccinations is now open for county residents that are 70 years of age or older, according to the health department’s latest Facebook post.

According to Ohio’s Phase 1B vaccination program, the week of Feb. 1 is when those in the 70 and older age group are eligible for inoculation against the coronavirus, along with employees of K-12 schools that wish to remain or return to in-person or hybrid models.

“At this time, we do not have any idea how much vaccine our county will be allocated for next week,” Warner wrote.

He said that in order to register, residents in the eligible age group should call 1-866-395-1588, or go to the registration link online at https://forms.gle/CfZWpLx6n4P2CWjQ6.

Earlier in the week, Gov. Mike DeWine made the announcement that if the state sees seven consecutive days of less than 3,500 people in the hospital due to COVID-19, the current business curfew will move back to 11 p.m. effective Thursday.

The curfew is currently in place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and is set to expire on Saturday, Jan. 30.

On Wednesday, the Ohio Department of Health reported 2,944 hospitalizations, which was the seventh day in a row below the 3,500 threshold.

“We’re in our sixth day,” DeWine said on Tuesday. “If this continues, we should be able to announce on Thursday that we’ll go to an 11 p.m. curfew.”

Health department criteria says that if the state can go seven consecutive days with less than 3,000 hospitalizations, it would be rolled back to midnight.

If less than 2,500 people are hospitalized in a seven consecutive day time span, the curfew would be eliminated altogether.

As Phase 1B of the COVID vaccination program continues, the week of Feb. 8 is when Ohioans 65 years of age and older are eligible for inoculation.

The week of Feb 15 has been designated for those Ohioans with severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset and inherited conditions.

The Ohio Department of Health described those conditions as those that include cerebral palsy; spina bifida; severe congenital heart disease that required hospitalization within the past year; severe type-1 diabetes that required hospitalization within the past year; inherited metabolic disorders including phenylketonuria, severe neurological disorders including epilepsy, hydrocephaly and microcephaly; severe genetic disorders including Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, and muscular dystrophy; severe lung disease, including asthma that required hospitalization within the past year, and cystic fibrosis; sickle cell anemia; alpha and beta thalassemia; and solid organ transplant patients.

The agency said that information was still forthcoming regarding those who had a qualifying congenital, early-onset, or inherited condition — without a developmental or intellectual disability — who will begin being vaccinated on Feb. 15.

On Wednesday, the state reported 5,366 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total cases reported since March to 878,284, with 757,003 recoveries.

All four of the leading indicators — new cases, deaths, hospitalizations and those admitted to intensive care — trended close to the 21-day rolling average, with those newly diagnosed averaging a little 1,000 lower than that average.

Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.

This graphic released by the Highland County Health Department on Monday shows that of the 2,832 cumulative cases that have been reported since March, 2,582 have made a full recovery.
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2021/01/web1_Monday-update.jpgThis graphic released by the Highland County Health Department on Monday shows that of the 2,832 cumulative cases that have been reported since March, 2,582 have made a full recovery. Highland County Health Department graphic
Vaccinations for school employees, others start Feb. 1

By Tim Colliver

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