Thread by @joingles

Ohio Dept of Health is holding a press conference right now to update the state on COVID situation. Follow this thread for details.

Speakers include Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA, Director, Ohio Department of Health
Brian Taylor, MD, Inpatient Medical Director, Central Ohio Primary Care Hospitalists
Hector Wong, ICU Physician, Head of Critical Care at Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Dr. Vanderhoff says the COVID numbers we are seeing in Ohio right now are similar to what we experienced in January.

Vanderhoff says some Ohio counties have about 1000 per 100,000 cases. Here's the chart showing your county's current situation.

Vanderhoff says people who get the Delta variant of COVID are getting sicker, quicker. And that, he says, is driving up hospitalizations. He says one in four patients in rural hospitals have COVID-19.

The situation in hospitals right nwo

*now

Vanderhoff is making another plea for people 12 and up to get COVID vaccines. Also saying masks are important to keep kids in schools.

Vanderhoff says the state has updated its quarantine guidance. People who have been vaccinated can avoid quarantine in some situations. More info is available on the state health department's website.

Vanderhoff quotes a statement from a leading pediatric medical group - "the pediatric situation for all children is being threatened...."

Dr. Hector Wong of Cincinnati Children's says hospitals are short-staffed due to caregiver fatigue. Also, he says there are many RSV cases. Flu season is coming. It's all coming together now to cause problems in Ohio's pediatric hospital situation.

Wong says a year ago, kids were getting infected but not really sick. He says that's changing. Now, he says hospitals are seeing kids sick with COVID.

Vanderhoff asks if masks are safe for kids? Wong says masks are "perfectly safe." He refutes the low oxygen claim and he says one study that suggested that was retracted. He notes med professionals wear masks constantly for 10-12 hrs at a time with no problems.

Wong says there is no data to show masks cause people to be re-infected with COVID or cause mental health damage. He says masks are important to keeping kids in schools, five days a week.

Dr. Brian Taylor says his group's hospitals are seeing far more cases of COVID now. He says more than 90% of those in the ICU are UNvaccinated. He says 1-7 or 1-8 of patients in his group's hospitals have COVID. And he says many are young (under 40) and don't have comorbidities.

Taylor says it is frustrating to see so many UNvaccinated patients in hospitals with COVID. He says most in that condition say after it's too late, that they wish they would have gotten the vaccine when they had the chance.

Taylor says the average covid patient is on oxygen, struggling to breathe, and in the hospital for an average of a week or so. And he says they are at risk of having long-term illness associated with it.

Wong says the vaccines have been out there long enough to show problems if there were going to be any. He says the vaccines are safe.

"No system is inexhaustable" - Dr. Vanderhoff speaking about hospitals right now.

Dr. Taylor says he's warned patients who need vital surgery to get it right now because the capacity at hospitals is getting lower as the number of COVID cases rises.

How long do COVID antibodies last? Vanderhoff says people who have had COVID boost their immune system with vaccines. He says a medical study shows you are 2 1/2 times more likely to get COVID if you are only relying on antibodies from a prior infection.

Dr. Wong says there are many kids at Cincinnati Children's Hospital who don't have pre-existing conditions. "This is real," he says.

Could this winter be worse than last year? Vanderhoff says yes, it could get worse if people don't get vaccinated. He says this COVID variant is hitting younger and healthier people harder.

On booster shots - Vanderhoff says there is more review by medical groups at fed level that is underway to determine whether and when to get booster shots. They will make recommendations. He says ODH has to wait for that guidance.

Vanderhoff says he has been making plans with all of the existing medical partners to make sure the state is ready to administer boosters immediately upon word from the feds allowing those.

Dr. Wong says he's worried the emphasis will be put on boosters rather than getting UNvaccinated to get the shots.

"Our current vaccines are continuing to do an exceptional job" - Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff

How about FDA approval for vax for kids 11 and under? Vanderhoff says docs are looking forward to that but don't want it to be rushed. Wong says the FDA is being careful and that should be reassuring to the public.

Recap. *Hospitals are seeing rapid increases in number of patients needing COVID care. *Patients who are seriously ill are much younger and they are sicker.

Also. *Hospitals are concerned about having capacity in the future because of crush of COVID patients. *And otherwise healthy kids are becoming seriously ill with COVID right now.

Note. *Docs say all who can should get the vaccine now to avoid future illness and long term side-effects from COVID. *And wear a mask indoors and in crowded spaces.

Also - sorry for the weird spacing on recap messages. I was forced to do those on my phone. And everyone knows my phone is possessed with an evil force :)