CORONAVIRUS

Ohio reports fourth-most daily virus cases as DeWine delays most vaccination details to Friday

Randy Ludlow
The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio reported 8,921 daily coronavirus cases — the fourth-most of the pandemic — and 82 additional deaths Thursday as Gov. Mike DeWine delayed to Friday his announcement of details about who will be first in line for COVID-19 vaccinations.

DeWine did say Thursday that Ohio, with a population of 11.7 million, expects the first shipment of doses of the Pfizer vaccine to number about 98,000. He also announced that pharmacy giants Walgreens and CVS will handle administering vaccinations to residents of nursing homes and other group-living settings.

Asked if the vaccinations would be required for health care workers, first responders and others expected to be eligible for doses early on, DeWine said, "We're not going to require that," adding it is important for Ohioans to listen to experts who deem the vaccine safe.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer of the Ohio Department of Health, said the state is asking health care workers to "join us as ambassadors for the safety of these vaccines … which have been proven to be very effective."

Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer of Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, noted that the early shipments of vaccines will "not be near enough to have everyone vaccinated," but expects a "very high percentage" of health care workers, and later the public at large, to be vaccinated.

DeWine followed through Thursday with his threat to veto legislation from fellow Republicans to curb his ability to issue health orders quarantining Ohioans during a pandemic. Lawmakers may attempt an override vote.

Senate Bill 311 would prohibit the Ohio Department of Health from quarantining or isolating Ohioans who were not directly exposed to or diagnosed with a disease through a statewide or regional health order.

Ohio lawmakers say the bill offers needed checks and balances on the DeWine administration's near-universal power to issue health orders. The governor says the proposed law would hamstring his ability to save Ohioans' lives during a once-in-a-century health crisis. Read his veto message.

Franklin County, meanwhile, was downgraded from the highest virus designation of "purple" in the state's county ratings to "red" after a two-week stay.

Summit (Akron), Stark (Canton), Portage (Ravenna/Kent), Medina (Medina) and Richland (Mansfield) counties were added to the "purple" list, joining Lake (Painesville), Lorain (Elyria) and Montgomery (Dayton).

The "watch list" for potential elevation next week to the "purple," which examines case growth and six other measures, now includes Madison and Fairfield counties in central Ohio.

Thomas said health officials continue to worry about high case numbers despite the downgrade in Franklin County's rating. "This does not mean by any means that Franklin County is out of the woods," he said.

State health officials also reported 396 hospitalizations Thursday, with the number of current virus inpatients dropping to 5,412 — 84 fewer than the daily record established Tuesday — as the state fights to turn back a record spike of infections.

Thomas cautioned that the end of the pandemic is not near and officials fear a potential shortage of intensive care beds for the sickest virus patients, which now total 1,204.

An ICU bed crunch could lead to transferring patients to other hospitals and also lead to the delay of elective surgeries and other procedures with specialists tied up in intensive care units, Thomas said. Staffs are stretched thin and hospitals are stressed.

Ahead of Friday's announcement, Ohio's draft plan for vaccinations had placed "high-risk" health care workers, which DeWine said includes nursing home employees, and first responders as first on the vaccination list, which differs from the recommendation of a federal panel.

An independent panel recommended to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week that health care workers and nursing home residents be vaccinated first. Ohio's tentative plan placed nursing home residents in the second wave of vaccinations.

COVID-19 in Ohio: State announces plans for initial vaccination distribution

DeWine has said he hopes the first doses of vaccine begin to arrive in Ohio in about two weeks and earlier this week outlined a distribution plan.

The governor also Thursday discussed the unusual step of Ohio placing itself on its own advisory list warning those who travel to the 14 states with virus test positivity rates of 15% or higher to self-quarantine for 14 days upon returning. "Now we are one of those states we are warning people about," DeWine said.

Vanderhoff said of the high positivity rate, "It’s a wake-up call and should be a call to action" to wear masks and take other precautions to stem the spread of the virus.

Ohio's seven-day average positivity rate rose to 15.4% on Thursday, a figure unseen since April, when testing was limited and largely restricted to suspected virus cases. The positivity rate on the latest reported day (Tuesday) was 16.1%, indicating ongoing spread of COVID-19.

A flashing sign on Court Street in Athens reports the number of active COVID-19 cases in Athens County.

Ohio has recorded 446,849 total virus cases and 6,753 deaths.

The state reported 7,835 new infections — 287 beneath the three-week daily average — on Wednesday after monthly cases more than tripled during November and the month became the second deadliest of the pandemic.

The 123 deaths reported Wednesday and the 119 recorded Tuesday are the third- and fourth-highest daily totals of the pandemic. Death reporting lags, but a majority of this week's deaths occurred within the last two weeks. The 82 deaths Thursday were 30 more than the three-week daily average.

DeWine recounted Thursday the COVID-19 death of Fred Luttenberger, 86, a friend who managed his 1976 campaign for Greene County prosecutor, his first elective office, and who directed the governor's annual ice cream socials for supporters at his home near Cedarville.

"Each of these lives matter," DeWine said. "I think your families deserve for us to be guided by the facts and do everything we can to battle this virus until help arrives," he said in a reference to the anticipated arrival of vaccines.

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Accompanying the statewide spike in cases, infections among medically vulnerable residents and employees of nursing homes and long-term care facilities continue to increase.

A Cincinnati Enquirer analysis of federal data showed Ohio virus cases increased 216% among residents and 387% among staff from mid-September through mid-November.

State health data updated Wednesday evening showed infections increased by 657 (19%) among nursing home residents and by 351 (14%) among staff from the prior week. Deaths increased by 157 (5%).

The cumulative 45,509 cases among residents and staff account for 10% of all cases during the near nine-month-old pandemic in Ohio.

The 3,863 total deaths out of nursing homes constitute 58% of all Ohio COVID-19 fatalities, with 79% of overall deaths occurring among those age 70 and older.

Franklin County facilities, which have recorded the most deaths in the state with 415, reported no new deaths in the latest week.

State data reporting coronavirus cases by ZIP code updated on Wednesday evening shows the two leading "hot spots" in "purple" Franklin County among the 7,254 cases reported during the prior two weeks in Ohio's most populous county, which leads the state in virus infections.

The 43206 ZIP code, encompassing German Village, Driving Park and other areas from the Scioto River east to Alum Creek Drive and south of Livingston Avenue to Frebis Avenue, recorded 453 cases.

The 43123 ZIP code covering Grove City, Urbancrest and areas to the west, reported 431 cases.

With 588 infections, the ZIP code with the most cases during the prior two weeks was 45011, which covers Hamilton and areas to the north and east in Butler County in southwestern Ohio.

COVID-19 cases by Ohio counties

Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Jessie Balmert contributed to this story.

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow