Erie County health commissioner has COVID-19

SANDUSKY — Erie County health commissioner Peter Schade said Wednesday he has COVID-19 and is out sick from work. Schade, who had helped lead the county's efforts against the disease, said he tested positive Monday. He said his illness underscores how infectious COVID-19 is, as he has been careful about following precautions. "I observe every precaution, always," Schade said. "Socially distancing, mask-wearing washing hands. I'm always observing those things. I carry Clorox wipes for when I'm not near a sink so I can wash my hands. I keep wracking my brain, how did this virus weasel its way to me? "I'm a gatekeeper for prevention and I've maintained all the precautions. This shows just how dangerous this virus is. I have no idea how or when I was exposed to it." Although he was out of the office, Schade remained in touch by phone with his staff. Schade also replied to criticisms about his decision to vaccinate local police, sheriff's deputies and firefighters. He said he believed the decision was reasonable at the time considering the dangers first responders face, but said the health department will follow the rules on who is supposed to receive the vaccine. Schade said he learned Monday he had tested positive for the virus. He said he feels "horrible." He said that while encouraging everyone else in Erie County to wear masks, maintain social distancing and wash their hands, he has tried to follow the same rules himself. "If anybody washes their hands in the county, I do," he said. "With the number of people coming in and out of the health department, it's probably bound to happen in the health department," Schade said. Under Ohio's priorities for vaccination, health departments are charged with vaccinating emergency medical services workers and health workers who are likely to find themselves working with COVID-19 patients. The Erie County Health Department has been doing that. On Thursday, it is scheduled to vaccinate 200 more health workers. But last week, the department also vaccinated local police officers, sheriff's deputies and firefighters. Schade explained the department had struggled to get health care workers signed up for the slots. He said he made the decision to go ahead and inoculate police officers and other first responders, based on their potential risk from the disease. "They are hauling people in their cars," Schade said. "I did it based on what I thought would be their potential exposure and what they've been dealing with in the last year or so." But Schade pledged to stick with the state's priorities. "I recognize what I did was probably out of turn," he said. With the slow rollout of the vaccination effort, the insistence on enforcing rules for who gets the vaccine rather than emphasizing speed has itself become controversial. On Wednesday, the Bloomberg News vaccination tracker showed that while 17.2 million doses of vaccine have been distributed, only 5.4 million shots have been given, about 32 percent of the available supply. On Wednesday, the federal government's Health and Human Services secretary, Alex Azar, said leaving the vaccine sitting in freezers does nobody any good. "It would be much better to move quickly and end up vaccinating some lower priority people than to let vaccine sit around while states try to micromanage this problem. Faster administration could save lives right now," Azar said, according to USA Today. The Erie County Health Department asked for 400 doses last week and got 200. It asked for 1,000 doses this week and received another 200. Schade said that while the department has not received as many doses as it wished, he said other health departments also are facing a similar situation. "I guess we're just going to get what we get," he said. The next round of state inoculations is supposed to target two groups: People 65 and over, and people who work at schools and have contact with kids, including teachers and bus drivers. "We've got to have enough vaccine to do this the right way. I'm hoping when it opens for school staff and schools we get more than 200 doses," Schade said. State Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, has argued that law enforcement officers should be among the first people to receive vaccinations. "While I appreciate the thought that went into determining who should be eligible to receive the first Ohio COVID-19 vaccines, excluding law enforcement is a mistake," Gavarone wrote on Twitter on Dec. 30. "My thoughts have been expressed to the Governor's office and I'm working to correct it." Erie County had 5,580 cases, an increase of 200 cases since Monday, according to a news release from the Erie County Health Department. The county has had 115 deaths. There were 45 patients being treated for COVID-19 Wednesday at Firelands Regional Medical Center.