Health commissioner: Local ERs full

Seneca County General Health District Wednesday reported the seventh COVID-19 death since Nov. 1, and Health Commissioner Anne Goon said Tiffin and Fostoria emergency personnel had to divert patients to medical facilities outside the county Tuesday. "Emergency rooms in Seneca County and beyond are swamped," Goon said in the November edition of her monthly newsletter, "This Month in Public Health." "EMS units had to divert sick patients to hospitals outside Seneca County yesterday (Tuesday) because our ERs were totally full. "This doesn't just impact those with possible COVID-19; it also means people injured in motor vehicle accidents or having heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks, etc., are unable to get the quick, life-saving care they need. It also contributes to ER staff exhaustion and burnout," Goon said in the newsletter. As of Wednesday, she said there were 552 COVID-positive patients in northwest Ohio hospitals. "One in five patients is COVID-positive," she said. "Our local hospitals continue to see an ever-increasing number of COVID-19 admissions, with resources becoming more and more taxed. Bed availability is extremely limited, resulting in emergency room patients or individuals needing to be transferred to another hospital, waiting for hours or sometimes days to be admitted." Goon said 100% of local hospital beds available for airborne (respiratory) isolation were full Wednesday, "meaning, they don't have anywhere to put another infectious COVID-19 patient. The number of Seneca County residents hospitalized with COVID-19 is at its highest level (17-18 persons) during this current surge of the pandemic." As of Wednesday, Goon said northwest Ohio was the state's highest region for COVID-19 spread, with more than 742 cases reported per 100,000 residents. She said anything over 100 cases is considered a high rate of transmission. Eight of the 10 counties in Ohio with the highest COVID-19 case rates were in northwest Ohio, including Seneca County at number seven. In the newsletter, Goon wrote about three things she was thankful for. The first was vaccines and antigen home tests. She said November 2020 was the month with the most reported cases in Seneca County with 1,439 cases. "We had neither vaccines nor easy access to testing, and there was so much we didn't know about this SARS-CoV-2 virus," she wrote. "Here we are, one year later, with three safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and the availability of home tests for COVID-19. These are pretty astounding scientific advancements in just one year." She said there are multiple local vaccine providers — the health department; local retail pharmacies such as CVS, RiteAid, Kroger and Walmart; and medical providers such as Tiffin Community Health Center and Community Health Services in Fostoria. She said not all vaccine providers have all types of vaccine, and most require an appointment. Find out more at https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov. Goon said free Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Home Tests are available at the health department, Seneca East school and Tiffin-Seneca Public Library. "It's always a great idea to call ahead to make sure tests are still available," she said. The health department has COVID tests in a white metal box mounted on the inside of the office's Perry Street door. The limit is two per person being tested. Goon said they are "proctored" tests for people who need to provide formal verification of test results for their school or employer, and are done at home under the direct visual supervision of a telehealth provider. There is one test per box. She said a non-proctored version will become available sometime in December, and can be used by people who do not need formal verification of their results. Those tests must also be done at home, but without the assistance of a telehealth provider. There will be two tests per box. In addition, Goon said she was thankful for the dedicated public health and healthcare workers in northwest Ohio. "COVID-19 is negatively impacting the availability and delivery of health care services right here in Seneca County," she said. "Decisions being made by local residents — whether or not to get vaccinated, wear a mask indoors at work or attend a large gathering like a funeral or wedding — are straining both our public health and hospitals/healthcare systems." Goon also said she was thankful for the 24,435 Seneca County residents who are fully vaccinated. "Seneca County currently has the seventh-highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the entire state of Ohio," she said. "If these 24,435 people weren't vaccinated, the number of local cases, hospitalizations and deaths would be astronomically higher." For example, she said Wood County has found that fully-vaccinated residents ages 12 and older were 3 1/2 times less likely to get COVID-19 during the current surge, and fully-vaccinated residents ages 65 and older were six times less likely. She said early clinical trials indicated the mRNA vaccines were 95% effective in preventing serious illness from COVID-19, and Ohio data supports this. Since Jan. 1, she said 94.7% of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Ohio have been unvaccinated, and 5.3% of hospitalized cases were vaccinated individuals. Among COVID-19 deaths this year, she said 95.5% have been unvaccinated and 4.5% were vaccinated. "All vaccinated Seneca County residents ages 18 and older are now eligible and encouraged to get a booster dose to offer added protection against serious outcomes from COVID-19 and to maximize ongoing protection against COVID-19 infection," Goon said. "Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can receive their booster dose two months after getting their initial shot, while those vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna can get a booster six months after their second shot. You can choose which vaccine you'd like to receive as a booster." She asked people to consider making a difference by getting vaccinated, wearing a mask in indoor public settings, getting tested before going to family gatherings or large events and staying home when a test shows positive or a person is sick. "Do it for those you love and care about," she said.