COVID outbreaks confirmed in Put-in-Bay, Willard nursing home

PUT-IN-BAY — As Ohio battled an upsurge in COVID-19 cases, new outbreaks of the disease were reported Tuesday from people who visited Put-in-Bay and at a nursing home in Huron County. At least seven people who recently visited Put-in-Bay restaurants and bars from June 17-21 have tested positive for the virus, the Ottawa County Health Department and the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department announced Tuesday in a joint press release. Island businesses visited by the infected people included the Commodore Hotel, the Mist and Mr. Ed's, the health departments said. The seven include six people from Lucas County and one person from Ottawa County. "The virus can spread when people are in close proximity to each other and not wearing face coverings," said Nancy Osborn, Ottawa County's health commissioner. "The public must understand the importance of personal responsibility and take the vital steps to protect themselves and others from the unnecessary transmission of COVID-19," Osborn said. Osborn, spending her last day on the job before retirement, told the Register the health department has been contacting local businesses, reminding them customers must maintain social distancing and employees must wear masks. "The reports we have gotten is they have not used due diligence," Osborn said. "They have assured us they will change their practices. We are monitoring what their practices are." Close contacts of the seven, such as household members, are being told to quarantine themselves for 14 days, Osborn said. Osborn retired Tuesday at the end of the day as Ottawa County's health commissioner and will be succeeded Wednesday by the deputy health commissioner, Jerry Bingham. "I'm working in the most exciting field there is," Osborn said as she worked past normal business hours on her last day. Anyone who visited Put-in-Bay from June 17-21 should stay at home and monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms, the Health Department said Tuesday. Most businesses in Put-in-Bay are doing their best to follow the rules, requiring employees to wear masks and marking off social distancing spaces on the floor, even as they deal with unexpectedly large crowds, Put-in-Bay Mayor Jessica Dress said. With normal summer activities such as baseball games and amusement parks not available so far, people went to one of the few places they can enjoy themselves, Dress said. "People were ready to get out of their houses," she said. Meanwhile, Huron County's health department is battling a new outbreak of COVID-19 in a Willard nursing home and is monitoring a possible second outbreak in another long-term care facility. Huron County Public Health announced that as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, eight cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at The Willows in Willard, including five residents and three staff. No deaths have been reported. The outbreak was found from "routine testing surveillance," the county health department said. Testing is now being carried out for all staff and residents. A separate long-term care facility, which the health department didn't identify, is reporting positive COVID-19 test results among staff members. "However, at this time, this facility being monitored does not meet the definition for an outbreak," the health department said in its news release, without further explanation. A health department spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for comment. Cases rising The news from Huron and Ottawa counties came as the U.S. and Ohio continued to battle COVID-19 as new cases surged, although a daily decline in deaths continued to be a bright spot. The United States has 4.25 percent of the world's population. But as of Tuesday, 126,512 deaths in the U.S. represent 25 percent of the world's total. The 2,612,259 U.S. cases also represent about 25 percent of the world's total. And the 126,512 U.S. deaths is more than any other country, with Brazil second at 58,314 deaths and the United Kingdom third at 43,815 deaths. Daily deaths in the U.S. remain sharply down from a peak in April — 626 on June 26, versus a peak of about 2,200 a day in mid-April, according to a chart from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. It wasn't clear Tuesday whether a national rise in cases might cause the death rate to plateau or begin rising again. Trends at a glance • The infection rate in Ohio has been rising steadily, according to the rt.live website, which tracks the average number of people who catch the virus from an infected person. A number below 1 indicates the pandemic is declining, while above 1 suggests it is rising. Ohio's R0 infection rate Tuesday was listed as 1.11 on Tuesday. It was 0.95 on June 22. The New York Times listed 35 states Tuesday where COVID-19 is increasing and listed Ohio as one of them. The Times said new cases are decreasing in two states and in the District of Columbia. Ohio had 51,789 total cases as of Tuesday and 2,863 total deaths. Ohio has 743 new cases Tuesday (versus a 21-day average of 601), 45 new deaths (versus a daily average of 21) and 93 new hospitalizations (against a daily average of 58.) • Erie County's situation continued to be relatively quiet Tuesday, with no new outbreaks reported. The county stood at a total of 227 cases Tuesday and 22 deaths, according to the Erie County Health Department's tracking website. No new cases have been reported at the Ohio Veterans Home in Perkins Township, and there is little activity in other Erie County nursing homes, according to state data updated on June 24. Erie County Health Department employees are going out every day, handing out masks and encouraging people to continue practicing safety measures to hold down the spread of the virus, health commissioner Pete Schade said Tuesday. • Huron County, which recently dealt with an outbreak at three farms in Willard, had 170 total cases as of Tuesday, with a total of 19 hospitalizations but still only one death. • Ottawa County had 129 cases as of Tuesday and 23 deaths. • Sandusky County had a total of 122 cases and 13 deaths. On Tuesday, the European Union banned tourists from the U.S. from visiting most European countries starting July 1, when the EU begins opening external borders, National Public Radio reported. Countries that have done better than the U.S. and are allowed to send tourists to Europe include Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, S Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China, NPR reported.