Most new COVID cases are younger demographic

By BRIAN HEMMINGER

City editor

Wyandot County has seen a majority of new COVID-19 cases among its younger population, Wyandot Public Health Director of Environmental Health Jeff Ritchey shared at the Wyandot County Board of Health meeting Wednesday.

From Nov. 1-15, there were 44 positive COVID-19 cases in the 0-19 age range, 27 cases for ages 20-29, 34 cases for ages 30-39, 20 cases for 40-49, 25 cases for 50-59, 21 cases for 60-69, nine cases for 70-79 and four cases for ages 80 and up.

Ritchey said Wyandot County’s case rates have followed the similar trends of Ohio as a state.

The significant majority of total hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Wyandot County are from the population ages 50 and up, which encompasses 212 hospitalizations. There were 37 hospitalizations for Wyandot County residents ages 0-49, with nearly half (18) of those coming in the 40-49 age range. 

On the topic of vaccinations, Ritchey said the community has done a “pretty good job” getting the 60 and older age group vaccinated. According to the latest data, 82.02% of Wyandot County residents age 65 and older have at least started the vaccination process.

However, the younger the age group, the lower the vaccination rate. The 30-59 age group is 48.28% vaccinated, the 18-29 age group is 35.71% vaccinated, 12-17 is 22.02% vaccinated and 5-11, which just recently had the Pfizer vaccine authorized, is 3.84% vaccinated.

Director of Nursing Jamie Crawford said the health department is trying to host one open clinic a week for Wyandot County residents ages 18 and older at the Wyandot County Fairgrounds. There also is an open clinic at the health department. 

Crawford said the health department is going into nursing homes to assist with vaccine booster shots and said over 200 people showed up to Tuesday’s vaccine booster clinic at the fairgrounds. Approximately 90 vaccines were administered at Fairhaven Community and about 20 were administered at the Wyandot County Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Crawford said Wyandot County Public Health currently has the Moderna and the Johnson and Johnson vaccines and it is looking to add the Pfizer vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is available at Wyandot Memorial Hospital and the Upper Sandusky Walmart, among other places in the county.

Crawford said COVID-19 death reporting changed, and while the health department is informed of a likely COVID-19 death in the county, the report has to go to the state and federal level for review of the death certificate before the health department is allowed to update the COVID-19 death total.

“We don’t want any discrepancies with the state’s numbers,” Crawford said. 

Wyandot County Commissioner Dave Courtad reported there were some issues with the upcoming Dec. 6 Medicaid deadline for employees to be vaccinated at the Wyandot County Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. 

Crawford said some health care workers recently received the single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine because of the upcoming deadline. She said she will set up a vaccination clinic at the center during upcoming COVID-19 tests to try to convince employees to get vaccinated.

Ritchey reported Callan Pugh was recently hired as a public health educator using grant funds, with a goal of expanding some of the educational items and outreach the health department performs. 

One of the first ideas Pugh had was a food safety quiz, which can be completed at forms.gle/PoWem4hpxyvbwyfN6. Ritchey said Pugh has submitted newspaper articles and is working with Crawford on community outreach.

Crawford said one new community outreach idea is an open discussion on COVID-19 at the Upper Sandusky Community Library from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 15, where the health department will make itself available to answer any questions about COVID-19 and vaccines. 

Ritchey said one goal with Pugh is to help expand the department’s social media presence and utilize different mechanisms to get its information out to the public. He also said he hopes to get her involved with Upper Sandusky, Mohawk and Carey schools.

Upcoming outreach events include a Click-it-or-Ticket campaign for November, volunteering to work Upper’s Winter Fantasy of Lights Dec. 3 and a drive sober campaign Dec. 5.

In other news, Ritchey reported the county’s sanitarian Jeremiah Aigler resigned after 16 years on the job. He said a new position was advertised and a Wyandot County resident was hired to start Dec. 1.

Arlene Schriner reported there were 11 referrals for WIC in October, eight for breastfeeding support and three for Help Me Grow. The WIC caseload is approximately 200 participants.

Schriner reported limited contact appointments were approved through April 22, 2022, due to COVID-19, and staff are adjusting to ongoing revisions to the WIC system.

Wyandot County Public Health Administrator Barb Mewhorter reported the department received a 90-day extension for ACAR documentation due to the sanitarian resignation.

Mewhorter is retiring in April. She said the board is looking at three qualified candidates at the moment. 

Also at the meeting, the board:

— Approved the second reading of proposed 2022 food service/food establishment fees.

— Heard financial reports.

— Was updated on medical insurance rates for 2022. After 0% increases from 2018 to 2020, an estimated 8.6% increase is expected if the board stays with Medical Mutual. The board is currently looking at other options.

— Accepted the resignation of Aigler, which was submitted Oct. 27. Aigler’s last day of work was Nov. 10.

— Approved the hiring of Molly Owens as new full-time environmental health sanitarian starting Dec. 1.