TOLEDO, Ohio — July 8 was jam-packed with updates on the coronavirus pandemic in Ohio.
Here's a breakdown of what was discussed on Wednesday's episode of "Afternoon Tea."
CEDAR POINT
Cedar Point is back Thursday, but with a number of changes.
Hours will be reduced to 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., reservations are required, as are masks. Guests will also have their temperature taken and anyone with a fever of more than 100.4 will be sent home.
But, on the brighter side, there are a number of new restaurants so you can fill your tummies, before then propelling yourself at 93 miles per hour - if you're brave enough.
MASK ORDER IN SEVEN OHIO COUNTIES
Those in the seven counties in the "red" counties per the new Public Health Alert System will be required to wear a mask in public, mostly in indoor settings.
The seven counties currently impacted are:
- Huron
- Cuyahoga
- Franklin
- Butler
- Hamilton
- Montgomery
- Trumbull
The order goes into effect at 6 p.m. Wednesday and will last until the counties are moved into a lower level of orange or yellow.
The instances in which those counties will have to wear a mask are as follows:
- In any indoor location that is not a residence
- When they are outdoors and unable to consistently maintain six feet of distance from anyone who is not a member of their household
- While they are waiting for or riding/driving in public transportation, car service, private care service, tax service or ride sharing vehicle.
The order does not apply to children under the age of 10 or anyone who is unable to safely wear a face covering.
DeWine said that the order also reflects the mask guidance that has existed for employees and businesses under their health and safety guidelines, which does not require a person to wear a mask if their physician advises against it, if wearing a mask is prohibited by federal regulation, if communicating with the hearing impaired, when alone in your office or personal workspace and other similar measures.
Schools that offer Kindergarten through grade 12 instruction should follow the guidelines set forth last week by the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Health, DeWine said.
OHIO PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY ALERT SYSTEM
a new warning system, called the "Public Health Advisory Alert System," has been implemented to provide community leaders, state leaders and health departments data and information that will allow them to layer additional enhanced safety measures to combat flareups as they pop up across the state.
The new color-coded system is built on data-driven framework to assess the degree of the virus's spread. The hope is to inform, engage and empower individuals, businesses, communities in the appropriate response and action.
The system is made up of four levels, providing Ohioans insight into the severity of the problem in the counties in which they live, determined by seven data indicators:
- New cases per capita - When the data shows that a county has had an average of 50 cases per 100,000 people in a two-week period, that will trigger a flag for increasing case rate. This specific threshold was chosen because this is the point at which the CDC defines a populations case rate as going from "moderate" to "moderately high."
- Sustained increase in new cases - If the number of new cases continually increases for a series of days, this indicates virus spread. A county will be flagged for this indicator if it has a five-day period of sustained new case growth.
- Proportion of cases not congregate cases - The risk of spread in congregate living facilities is very high, however, DeWine the risk of spread from these facilities to outside communities is relatively low. This is why leaders are giving more weight to non-congregate cases when looking at community spread. When leaders see a high number of cases from those living in the broader community, that is a big concern, DeWine said. When 50% of new cases in a three-week period are from outside congregate care facilities, this will trigger a flag under this new system.
- Sustained increase in emergency room visits - Emergency room data will show the trend in the number of people who visit the E.R. with COVID-19 symptoms or a confirmed coronavirus cases. A county will be flagged when there is an increase of ER visits over a five-day period.
- Sustained increase in outpatient visits - This looks at the number of people visiting outpatient facilities, including telehealth with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 systems. This lets us know how many people are sick enough to go to the doctor's office. This can be an early warning indicator for future hospitalizations. A county is flagged if there is an increase over a five-day period.
- Sustained increase in new COVID-19 hospital admissions - This data point shows the burden of COVID-19 in the community. When the numbers show at least a five-day period of sustained growth in the number of county residents with COVID-19 who are sick enough to be admitted to the hospital. DeWine made clear, this indicator looks at the county of residence, and not the county of the hospital in which that patient is being treated.
- ICU bed occupancy - This indicator looks at regional data of coronavirus and non-coronavirus use of ICU beds. This gives us an idea of how full our hospitals are. A county is flagged if the regional occupancy goes above 80% on at least three of the last seven days.
- Additional measurements - Three more indicators will be added to the list as more data becomes available. Those data points are: contact tracing, tests per capita and percent positivity.
ALERT LEVELS
Alert levels will be updated weekly on Wednesdays and announced during DeWine's Thursday conferences. Here is a look at what each level means:
- Level 1 - The color for Level 1 will be yellow. This will be activated when 0-1 of the seven indicators have been flagged. There are currently 53 counties at Level 1. The majority of these counties are seeing a moderate number of cases. Some are seeing a steady increase in cases each day, but not necessarily a rapid spread. DeWine cautioned not to be lulled into a false sense of security, as experts believe all counties have community spread.
- Level 2 - The color for Level 2 will be orange. This is issued when a county flags two or three of the seven indicators. There are currently 28 counties under a Level 2, including Lucas County. These counties are seeing cases growing in the communities over the last two weeks. Residents should exercise a high degree of caution by decreasing contact with people in high-risk and limiting in-person interactions and seeking medical care when necessary.
- Level 3 - The color for Level 3 will be red. This level triggers four or five of the indicators and there is a very high level of exposure or spread. There are currently seven counties at Level 3. Ohioans should limit activities when possible, consider online options and wear a mask as many cases of community spread are present. Residents of these counties should limit themselves to necessary travel only. COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU stays are trending up in some counties.
- Level 4 - The color for Level 3 will be purple. This level triggers six or seven of the listed indicators. At this point, no Ohio counties are at Level 4. Franklin County, however, is on the watch list, with the grave concern that it could soon move from red to purple. Ohioans should stay home as much as possible and only travel when necessary if their county were to reach this level of spread.
For even more information about coronavirus in Ohio, click here.
MONSTER COOKIES (GF)
Yes, I put the recipe down at the bottom so you'd keep scrolling. I know how the food blogs do it.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 eggs
- 3 3/4 cup of oatmeal
- All the M&Ms and chocolate chips your heart desires
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
ASSEMBLY
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix eggs, peanut butter, softened butter and vanilla until nice and creamy. I prefer to use a stand mixer because it's easier.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients, omitting the chocolate chips and M&Ms. Once thoroughly mixed, slowly add the dry ingredients to your peanut butter mixture and mix on low.
Once combined, carefully mix in your chocolate chips and M&Ms. If you over-mix, the M&Ms could break and bleed when baked, but honestly, it tastes the same so who cares?
Using a cookie scoop (best invention ever) scoop your dough onto a greased cookie sheet. I use a silicon mat instead for easy cleanup, plus it I think it makes the bottoms crisper, I could just be crazy though.
Pop those dough balls in the oven for 11-13 minutes. I find best results at 13, but that could be my oven.
When they look tan on top, take them out and let them cool for about 10 minutes or so. Then they are good to serve!
Note: These are gluten-free as there's no flour needed, but they are not vegan because of the eggs and butter.
Have a suggestion for a topic you want covered? Let me know! Send an e-mail to jstrock@wtol.com.