By Melody Vallieu

Miami Valley Today

MIAMI COUNTY — Miami County has recorded five more deaths and one more confirmed case of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the Miami County Public Health (MCPH).

The county now stands at 19 deaths and 122 positive COVID-19 cases, according to the MCPH. MCPH officials said that 16 of those deaths are associated with the nursing home outbreak and three deaths are from community spread.

Of the positive coronavirus cases, MCPH officials said the age range is from under 1 year to 96 years old and includes 71 female and 51 male victims.

The ODH said there also are currently 46 people hospitalized in the county due to the coronavirus.

Miami County Public Health and county hospital officials this week said personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers to care for those with COVID-19 remains sufficient in the county,

“Local health care facilities, along with Miami County Emergency Management Agency, are actively monitoring the PPE supply. There are adequate supplies to meet the current need,” said Miami County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Nate Bednar, RS.

Kettering Health Network’s Troy Hospital officials continue to assess their PPE, according to John Weimer, vice president, Network Emergency, Trauma and Operations Command Center.

“We continue to monitor usage and patient volumes, and evaluate all options for sourcing supplies. Resources and stock are being moved and deployed to our hospitals and facilities as necessary,” Weimer said.

Weimer said Troy Hospital is equipped to care for COVID-19 patients coming to the facility.

“All Kettering Health Network hospitals are prepared to care for patients who present with COVID-19 symptoms. This includes patients who may need intensive care,” Weimer said. “Through Kettering Health Network’s Incident Command Center, we are managing patients, their needs and network resources at our hospitals and outpatient facilities in Miami County and throughout the network in a way to minimize PPE use as mandated by the governor.”

In Ohio, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton cited 7,280 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, including 27 probable cases as defined by the Center for Disease Control’s expanded definition. Cases have been confirmed in 86 of the 88 counties, according to Acton.

There have been 2,156 hospitalizations in the state and 654 intensive care admissions, Acton said.

There are now 324 confirmed deaths, 15 of those are considered probable deaths, Acton said, which includes 50 deaths just in the 24 hours between Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

“The truth is we lost 50 people in the last 24 hours. Fifty of our citizens died, so this is a very, very dangerous situation,” Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said.

Acton said her office invoked a new order on Tuesday, sharing more widely the addresses of those with the virus with front line responders. She said the information remains confidential, but allows dispatchers to know so that they can in turn make sure that first responders, such as firefighters, EMS and law enforcement, are properly protected when they’re transporting someone who may have COVID-19.

Acton acknowledged the lack of PPE and inadequate testing in the state and said residents need to continue what they are doing to flatten the curve, including continuing to stay at home and wear masks.

“We are going to move forward. We are going to move forward smartly as a state,” Acton said.

For more information, visit coronavirus.ohio.org.