By Melody Vallieu
Miami Valley Sunday News
MIAMI COUNTY — Miami County Coroner Dr. William Ginn has identified the last two county residents to fall victim to COVID-19.
The seventh person to pass from the virus is Dorothy Grafton, 89, of SpringMeade Health Center, hometown unknown. The eighth person is Sheryl Bodey, 68, of Koester Pavilion, and a Piqua resident, according to her obituary.
Ginn said the average age of decedents in the county due to the coronavirus is 87 years of age, and all eight deaths are confirmed deaths that have been associated with either Koester Pavilion or SpringMeade Health Center.
On Friday, two more COVID-19 cases, for a total of 64, have been reported in Miami County, according to Miami County Public Health. No more deaths have been reported, MCPH said.
In the county, 24 people are hospitalized, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Currently, Upper Valley Medical Center has the capacity and equipment to take care of all patients being admitted to the hospital, Premier Health officials said.
“In collaboration with community partners, we are actively preparing for the probable future increase of patients to be in the best position to provide the level of care needed,” Premier Health officials said.
The region’s surge plan for when COVID-19 cases would peak is being coordinated through the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, officials said.
“In collaboration with our public health partners, GDAHA and our community partners, including, Kettering Health Network and Dayton Children’s Hospital, and as the state of Ohio has required, we are actively working on our future preparedness to manage the COVID-19 spread,” Premier Health officials said.
Premier Health announced that, beginning Friday, their hospitals in conjunction with CompuNet Clinical Laboratories will offer local testing for hospitalized patients for the novel coronavirus.
CompuNet has completed validation of test kits that were developed by DiaSorin Molecular, LLC. Recently, DiaSorin received FDA emergency use authorization for their Simplexa™ COVID-19 Direct kit, which detects severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19, directly from nasopharyngeal swab specimens.
Testing will initially be limited based on the Ohio Department of Health’s Director’s Order issued on April 1, which prioritizes patients who receive the COVID-19 testing. Hospitalized patients and symptomatic health care workers are considered Priority 1 and will be the first group to receive this test. CompuNet has also been coordinating with the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association as it relates to the prioritization of patients. Local test access is expected to shorten turnaround times for test results to 24 to 48 hours for hospitalized patients.
In Ohio, as of Friday afternoon, there are 3,312 confirmed cases and 91 deaths, according to Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton. There are 895 hospitalizations in the state, with 288 intensive care admissions. The age range is from under 1 to 99 years of age, with a median age of 54. Males with the virus make up approximately 48 percent of the total, and females make up 51 percent, Acton said. Healthcare workers make up 28 percent of those affected, while 4 percent are from long-term care facilities, according to Acton.
There are 75 of the 88 counties reporting cases, according to the ODH.
