By Melody Vallieu
Miami Valley Today
MIAMI COUNTY — As of Monday, Miami County Public Health (MCPH) has reported one more death and two additional cases of COVID-19 in the county.
Following nearly a week without any losses, the county recorded a death on Thursday, Friday and one more during the weekend, a 96-year-old female, according to MCPH officials. All three of the last deaths were residents of SpringMeade Health Center. There are now 21 nursing home-related deaths and four deaths related to community spread, MCPH officials said.
There are currently 136 cases in Miami County, up from 134 cases last Friday. The total cases are now reported as 42 nursing home-related, 37 healthcare workers and 57 considered community spread.
The county has also now had 49 people hospitalized related to the coronavirus, according to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
On Monday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine reminded that expanded testing will begin this week, on Wednesday, with daily testing of 7,200 a day, or about 49,00o per week .
The final expansion will be the the week on May 27 with 22,275 tests per day with more than 150,000 tests per week. Contact tracing also is being “ramped up” around the state, DeWine said.
On May 1, as part of the reopening of the state, hospitals will begin with health procedures that do not require an overnight stay, DeWine announced on Monday. Dentists and veterinarians can also be at “full steam ahead,” DeWine said.
Kettering Health Network officials said they will follow the plans set forth by the governor and ODH.
“As Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton continue to develop plans for reopening the state of Ohio, Kettering Health Network continues to be a key participant in that conversation all while ensuring patient safety, employee safety, preservation of PPE and to flatten the curve in the state of Ohio,” said John Weimer, vice president, Network Emergency, Trauma and Operations Command Center and a leader of Kettering Health Network’s Incident Command Center, which is overseeing the network’s response to COVID-19. “We are collectively working together to develop those guidelines to reopen the state and make sure that we open elective surgeries.”
Premier Health will begin working toward the same, Upper Valley Medical Center President Tom Parker said on Friday.
“To ensure the ongoing safety of our patients and staff, we are working according to the guidelines established by the Governor and the Ohio Department of Health, and it is likely we will resume some surgical procedures in early May,” Parker said. “We are reaching out to patients to reschedule, as appropriate.”
The governor also outlined other businesses that will open as the month continues, as well as the restrictions and procedures to be in place. On May 4, general offices, manufacturing, construction and distribution industries can begin to reopen. May 12 will see the reopening of the consumer retail industry.
MCPH officials said they have not received any orders from ODH pertaining to the reopening of businesses.
“As of right now, we have not been given any guidance on if public health will be required to provide any type of training for business or do any checks,” MCPH officials said. “It may be similar to the checks we have done thus far, which have been done on a complaint basis. But we haven’t heard anything specific yet.”
The Stay-at-Home order remains in place for gatherings of 10 people or more.
ODH Director Dr. Amy Acton said Ohioans need to remain aware the virus is infectious and deadly.
“We have to respect this virus. It will continue to evolve and we will continue to navigate it,” Acton said.
Acton said while the state’s residents are entering the next phase, there will be stresses, anxieties and successes, but she believes the state will once again come together to fight the virus safely.
“It really has be be a collective effort,” Acton said. “To move forward, all of us are going to have to continue to be our best selves … together.”
In Ohio, the state has recorded 16,325 cases with 362 cases in a 24-hour time period from Sunday to Monday.
There are 753 deaths total in the state with 25 deaths in the same time frame.
Hospitalizations from coronavirus have totaled 3,232 with 54 in the 24 hours from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon. Intensive care admissions total 978 with 26 in last 24 hours, as of Monday afternoon.
The total cases include 57 percent males and 42 percent females with a median age of 51 years old.
For more information, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.
