The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory that includes Findlay and Hancock County.
The advisory goes from 7 a.m. Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Forecasters say 2 to 5 inches of snow is possible as well as gusty winds in excess of 30 miles per hour.
The National Weather Service says rain will transition to snow Monday morning along the I-75 corridor and continue to expand east through the morning, and snow will diminish from west to east during the day Tuesday.
People should plan for slippery driving conditions.
Winter weather is expected to impact the area beginning Monday evening through Wednesday. Widespread 2-5 inches expected, with 8-12 inches possible in the snowbelt. Stay tuned to https://t.co/kg0MvphMJJ for forecast updates. #ohwx#pawxpic.twitter.com/E3c3AOU7UZ
The Ohio State football game at Illinois that was scheduled for Saturday will not take place.
Ohio State says it canceled the game after further positive COVID-19 tests were discovered in their program.
The university previously revealed that head coach Ryan Day had tested positive and wouldn’t be attending the game.
All team-related football activities are now on pause.
The decision to cancel and pause was made jointly by Director of Athletics Gene Smith, University President Kristina M. Johnson, head team physician Dr. Jim Borchers and in consultation with the Big Ten Conference.
“We have continued to experience an increase in positive tests over the course of this week,” Smith said.
“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athlete is our main concern, and our decisions on their welfare will continue to be guided by our medical staff.”
Ohio State says the program will resume team activities when medical staff determines it is safe to do so based on protocols established by the Big Ten Conference.
Ohio State is 4-0 on the season. They have Michigan State and Michigan remaining on the schedule.
The Big Ten title game is set for December 19th.
Ohio State pauses team-related activities; game was set for noon Saturday at Champaign, Ill.https://t.co/bFI7tPNQfZ
The City of Findlay’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony was held virtually this year because of the pandemic.
The ceremony was posted to the city’s Facebook page on Friday night.
The tree was already lit up on Thanksgiving Day and some people could be seen taking pictures in front of it that night while walking off some of that turkey and pie.
Mayor Christina Muryn said, although the traditional ceremony couldn’t be held this year, she still hopes people will enjoy the tree and patronize downtown businesses, especially on Small Business Saturday.
Despite challenges presented by the pandemic, StoneBridge Church still served up hundreds of Thanksgiving meals again this year.
“After 15-plus years of this going on we weren’t going to let anything stop us this year,” said Reverend Michael Wise, Lead Pastor of StoneBridge Church.
The church usually puts on a big meal inside its auditorium but that wasn’t possible this year because of the pandemic.
Even though they couldn’t do the dine-in portion of their annual Thanksgiving Day Community Meal this year, Wise says they still ended up serving more than 2,000 meals through drive-thru and delivery.
He says the meal was more important than ever this year.
“We want to encourage people that there’s hope, there’s life, there’s joy to be had and we hope that this is just the beginning of sharing that through our community.”
Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day has tested positive for COVID-19.
“At this time the Department of Athletics can confirm an increased number of positive tests this week for the coronavirus,” the university said in a news release.
“This is in contrast to testing throughout the season, when Ohio State had consistently recorded nearly 0% positivity since Aug. 11. The increased number does not reach the threshold for Ohio State to have to cancel the game this week, according to Big Ten Conference protocols.”
Day is in isolation and Athletic Director Gene Smith said he is doing well physically.
“I feel terrible for Coach and for the members of the program who have been diagnosed with a positive test. Coach Day and this team have been true leaders in handling things so well throughout this pandemic. Our team wants to play this game, and weβre going to do everything we can to help make this happen. All of the decisions on the welfare of our student-athletes and staff members will continue to be guided by our medical staff.”
Assistant head coach/defensive line coach Larry Johnson will serve as interim head coach as the 4-0 Buckeyes take on Illinois in Champaign on Saturday.
After Illinois, the Bucks have Michigan State and Michigan to wrap up the regular season.
The Big Ten Title game is set for December 19th.
(above picture courtesy of Columbus Wired)
π‘πβππ πβπ πββπβπΌβπ πGround game could lead the way … for both Buckeyes & Illini tomorrow πnoon πΊ @FS1 π» @971thefan | #GoBuckeyespic.twitter.com/K0vnWjHLGa
Blanchard Valley Health System President & CEO Scott Malaney and Vice President of Special Projects Dr. William Kose recently discussed the health system’s response to the rise in COVID cases and answered some questions from the community. (video below)
Q) Are positive COVID patients being transferred out of Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS), to other hospitals?
A) Malaney β “In general, no. However, in a very specific situation we had a total of four patients transferred to Wood County Hospital, due to some construction at BVH to create more negative pressure rooms. This was in the best interests of the patient at the time. It was a unique situation. We expect to keep all patients within our health system now that renovations have been completed. The intensivists who take care of patients here are the same who would care for them at Wood County Hospital. But in general, no we are continuing to care for patients here at BVHS.”
Q) What is the current hospital census?
A) Kose β “The hospital census is close to 137 patients. Blanchard Valley Hospital is licensed for 150 beds, but this includes psychiatric and obstetrics beds, and obstetrics beds are licensed specifically for obstetrics patients.”
Q) Are elective procedures still taking place?
A) Kose β “Yes. Our plan is to continue with elective surgeries as normal this week. While these surgeries are elective, meaning we have a few days to schedule them out, they are often very important procedures such as bowel obstructions or removing a tumor that we would prefer to not postpone. Patients who have an upcoming elective procedure should expect to receive a call the night before to either confirm the procedure or be informed that it will be postponed.”
Q) Will physician offices be closed over the holiday weekend?
A) Malaney β “It depends. If you need to reach your provider, we would suggest you to please try calling their office first. However, our Physicians Plus Urgent Care and the emergency departments at Blanchard Valley Hospital and Bluffton Hospital will remain open throughout the holiday.”
Q) How can the community help support the hospital at this time?
A) Kose β “The general public can help us out at the hospital but protecting themselves. Please continue to wash your hands, wear a mask and socially distance. For the holiday, avoid contact with people you do not know and large group gatherings. This virus is highly contagious, and it is best if people take all precautions to avoid getting and spreading COVID.”
Malaney β “We also have many employment opportunities available at BVHS, for both clinical and non-clinical roles. People interested in applying should visit bvhealthsystem.org and click on “careers” to see all positions we have available.”
Q) Can the community provide donations or food to the frontline healthcare workers?
A) Kose β “Support Our Healthcare Heroes” is a new program that has been launched at Blanchard Valley Health System at the request of the community. Meals will be scheduled across all hospital locations for the extraordinary physicians, nurses and support staff that are caring for patients during this COVID-19 pandemic. Donations will be matched by local businessman, Duane Jebbett and his wife, Kathy, up to $10,000.”
Four more Hancock County residents have died from COVID-19.
Hancock Public Health on Wednesday said a total of 40 residents have now died from the virus.
The Wednesday numbers showed total cases increasing by more than 100 from Monday, up to 2,459.
Active cases on Wednesday stood at 337, an increase of seven from Monday.
As of Wednesday, 33 people were currently hospitalized in Hancock County with COVID-19.
A total of 171 people have been hospitalized from COVID in Hancock County during the pandemic.
Statewide, 10,835 new cases were reported on Wednesday along with 156 new deaths.
There have been more than 382,000 cases of the virus in Ohio and more than 6,200 deaths since the pandemic began.
Hancock Public Health has issued a health advisory asking people to be vigilant as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
The Stay Safe Health Advisory asks all residents to utilize additional scrutiny in their daily behaviors to curb the rapid increase of COVID cases and hospitalizations in the county.
People are being advised to avoid gathering with anyone outside of their family, limit any non-essential activities and only patronize businesses that have implemented COVID-19 safety protocols.
Residents are also being strongly encouraged to avoid traveling in and out of the state and to not have guests into their homes during the holidays.
Blanchard Valley Health System says it has launched a new project called “Support Our Healthcare Heroes” at the request of the community.
“Meals will be scheduled across all hospital locations for the extraordinary physicians, nurses and support staff that are caring for patients during this COVID-19 pandemic,” BVHS said.
Donations will be matched by local businessman, Duane Jebbett and his wife, Kathy, up to $10,000.
Back in the spring, a procession of vehicles with their flashers on pulled into the parking lot and people waved their cell phones as a way of saying “thank you” to healthcare workers for their hard work and dedication in the pandemic. Read that story here.Β
