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 we’re 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.
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 – “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 – “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 – “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 – “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 – “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 – “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 – “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.
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles location on County Road 140 in Findlay was very busy when it reopened in May after the initial shutdown because of the pandemic.
Governor DeWine is asking schools to not allow any fans other than parents of the athletes to attend winter sports, at least through the end of the year.
“As one superintendent told me, the idea of bringing 200 adults into our gym at this point in the pandemic with the spread that we’re seeing just makes absolutely no sense.”
Following Governor Mike DeWine’s remarks during his news conference on Tuesday (Nov. 24), the OHSAA, in conjunction with the Governor’s Office, recommends that schools restrict attendance to only the parents of the participants, or eliminate all spectators, for their winter sports competitions through December 31, 2020, due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
“We want to follow this recommendation so that our kids can continue to compete,” said OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute. “We believe it is crucial that parents be permitted to attend the contests of their children, but large crowds at our indoor athletic contests are not a good idea at this time. We all need to work together to give our kids and schools the best chance at having a full winter season.”
Schools will determine the process for how parents will attend athletic contests, such as how many are permitted and where they will be placed to watch the contest.
Regarding media coverage, the OHSAA asks schools to still permit media coverage of their contests, but the number of media attending should be restricted to those who regularly cover the teams involved. Schools are encouraged to provide live video streaming of their athletic contests for those who cannot attend.
The OHSAA provided the following recommendations for member schools: For those schools that decide to admit parents, list the names of the parents on a roster sheet that is located at your ticket window/admission table. This will help clarify who should/should not be admitted and will hopefully eliminate non-parents from attending. Limit media to those who normally cover your school and consider utilizing a streaming service in order for fans to view your contest(s). There is no prohibition on cheerleaders and pep bands, but schools should make their own decisions on these students’ participation and should strongly consider not sending cheerleaders to away contests.
As administrators were notified last week, the OHSAA winter sports seasons are moving forward as planned. That decision was made after the Executive Director’s Office had discussions with the Governor’s Office, the OHSAA Board of Directors and numerous administrators combined with the results of the membership survey in which 56 percent of the 1,464 respondents recommended that the OHSAA begin all winter sports contests as they are currently planned and scheduled.
The decision for schools to move forward with sports is a local decision. Schools may certainly choose not to participate in a contest or to pause their season(s) for a period and should do what is in their best interest. The OHSAA believes that our member schools provide student-athletes with the safest possible environment to continue participating, and we all recognize the educational, physical and mental health benefits of participation.
