County seeing increase in COVID cases

By CALLAN PUGH
City editor
The Wyandot County Board of Health received an update about coronavirus’s effects in Wyandot County on Wednesday at its regular meeting, which was held in the oncology room of Wyandot Memorial Hospital.
As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, the county’s 45 total active cases included 28 unvaccinated individuals and 17 vaccinated individuals. There currently are six hospitalizations of patients with coronavirus, with just one of the individuals having been vaccinated and having received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“We’re seeing an increase in cases that are associated with vaccinated people,” Wyandot County Public Health Director of Environmental Health Jeff Ritchey said. “The important part when you’re looking at vaccinated verses unvaccinated — and this is something we’ve had to explain to people on the internet and everything else — that when you actually look at the data for the different types of vaccinations that are available, none of them are 100% effective at preventing disease.
“Actually, when you look at the effectiveness, I think it’s like 95% for Pfizer, 94% for Moderna and 66% for Johnson & Johnson — those are rates that it prevents serious disease and hospitalizations. Johnson & Johnson is 66%, I think into 70% and 80%, but that’s where they were originally when I had looked. So, particularly when you’re looking at hospitalizations, you would expect to see one every once in a while, that was vaccinated. Again, that’s stuff that was all in the product information that people don’t necessarily read through — they just automatically think its 95% preventing complete disease.”
Locally as of Aug. 12, Wyandot County is 74th out of 88 counties in the list of rates per 100,000, but the county is seeing an increase in cases with 137 cases per 100,000. These numbers will be updated today.
Ritchey said most hospitalizations locally have still been in older individuals, but Director of Nursing Jamie Crawford indicated none of these cases, as of Tuesday, had come from individuals in nursing homes. The cases recently have not appeared to be largely connected.
Since Aug. 1, seven cases have been seen in individuals ages 0-19, three cases in those ages 20-29, four cases in those ages 30-39, three cases in those ages 40-49, seven cases in those ages 50-59, 11 cases in those ages 60-69, two cases in those ages 70-79 and four cases in those ages 80 and up. Hospitalized cases included four in the 80 and up age group, one in the 70-79 age group and one in the 40-49 age group. Dr. Chevonne Vent said she has a patient that got sick when in the 17-year-old age group and since turned 18 but has been hospitalized. This is the youngest individual to be hospitalized in the county so far.
Vaccination clinics continue to be offered in the county. About 42% of the county has started the vaccination process. Around 39.5% have completed the vaccination process. Open, walk-in clinics are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays at the health department and the Pfizer vaccine is available at Wyandot Memorial hospital, as well as other retailers in the area. The hospital and health department also teamed up to offer Pfizer vaccinations at Upper Sandusky’s schedule pick up for students that wanted to be vaccinated. Crawford reported she is working to set up similar clinics at Carey and Mohawk as well.
Those who are immunocompromised are able to receive a booster shot as well, Crawford said, and if the demand ramps up, the health department may add more open clinics in the future. Crawford noted that people are encouraged to receive the same kind of vaccination they received initially but said it’s thought Pfizer and Moderna could be interchanged if needed.
Johnson & Johnson is experiencing a shortage and is not available to be delivered at this time, Crawford said, and she said there hasn’t been clear guidance about how Johnson & Johnson recipients should or could proceed with a booster shot yet.
Also, at the meeting the board:
— Reviewed the progress being made on specific goals outlined in the strategic plan.
— Heard that general immunization clinics in August will return to Monday and Tuesday times only.
— Approved Ritchey to submit the Home Sewage Treatment System grant from the Ohio EPA. Grant dollars assist low- and moderate-income individuals with the cost of repairing and replacing failed septic systems. This is a yearly application and would result in $150,000 that would replace up to 10 failing systems.

— Heard about the Drive Sober, Get Pulled Over kick-off event at noon Friday outside the Upper Sandusky Police Department. Judge James Ruhlen will briefly speak about what he sees in the Upper Sandusky Municipal Court due to drunk driving.

— Heard a WIC update. Director Arlene Schriner said everything was status quo and said management evaluations came back with zero corrective actions required and no recommendations were made for improvements.

— Heard an update on accreditation. Administrator Barbara Mewhorter said the team is still working on the accreditation committee action report with a deadline of Nov. 13. She said team may request an extension to be sure that all the specifics are in place properly.

— Approved the general health district combined financial reports, invoices, budgets, budget adjustments and transfers list.

— Heard about cyber coverage from PEP Liability from Jan. 1, 2022, to Jan. 1, 2023. Mewhorter will fill out the application and the board will then be able to discuss the quote for the coverage once it is received.

— Approved applying for the ODH Workforce Grant in the amount of $180,000 over a two-year period. It is a CDC grant that passed through the Ohio Department of Health, and the health district would be eligible for the funding to be used to recruit, hire and train new staff. It has been discussed that a public health educator and grant writer would need to be hired. The board approved the motion previously via email because the application was due Aug. 13.

— Recognized the increase of $380,000.18 in the coronavirus Response Supplemental Grant.

The board adjourned into executive session to discuss employees. Coming out of executive session, the board permitted Mewhorter to advertise for two positions, including her own position as she will be retiring as administrator April 1, 2022.  The second position that the board approved advertising for is a public health educator position created by a workforce grant from the Ohio Department of Health. 

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the results of the executive session and the actions taken by the board after the meeting resumed from executive session.