TOLEDO, Ohio —
Here is the latest on the coronavirus pandemic in Lucas County this week:
Sunday
New numbers:
The COVID-19 numbers for Lucas County for today, April 12, are as follows:
- 508 total cases
- 22 deaths
- 238 male cases
- 270 female cases
- The ages range from 3 to 98
The number of first responders in Lucas County in quarantine and isolation:
Saturday
New numbers:
The COVID-19 numbers for Lucas County for Saturday, April 11, are as follows:
- 487 total cases
- 22 deaths
- 224 male cases
- 263 female cases
- The ages range from 3 to 98
The number of first responders in Lucas County in quarantine and isolation:
A map of Lucas County showing confirmed COVID-19 cases by zip code can be found at lucascountyhealth.com/coronavirusupdates/.
Friday
New numbers:
- 443 total cases
- 22 deaths
- 214 male cases
- 229 female cases
- The ages range from 3 to 98
The most recent deaths announced Friday represent one male in his 50s, one male in his 60s and two males in their 80s.
The number of first responders in Lucas County in quarantine and isolation:
A map of Lucas County showing confirmed COVID-19 cases by zip code can be found here.
Thursday
New numbers:
- 411 total cases
- 18 deaths
- 192 male cases, 219 female cases
- Age range: 3 - 98
The additional death announced on Thursday was a female patient in her 60s.
Here is a look at the number of first responders in either isolation or quarantine.
Masks and face coverings
The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised residents to wear masks when in a public setting. Those masks can be made from scarves, t-shirts or other household items along those lines. If you'd like to create your own, here's information on how to do so.
If you are unable to create your own, you can find organizations within the community to make some for you. However, you are warned to beware of scammers online.
The health department has created several videos to instruct residents on how to properly utilize these masks. It's important to make sure you are putting them on and taking them off properly to make sure they are effective. You should launder them after every use, and have a few on standby.
It's important to remember, that these types of masks protect the people around you by limiting the risk of you spreading the virus to someone else. However, they do little to protect you from getting the virus yourself so it is important to continue practicing social distancing.
Self-reporting symptom survey
The health department created a survey system last week in which local residents can report COVID-19 symptoms if they are not sick enough to go to a hospital.
Wood and Fulton counties have joined in with the survey, so residents in that area can record their symptoms as well.
The form, which was created through a partnership between the health department and the University of Toledo, can be found by clicking here.
Since not everyone with symptoms has been able to be tested, the idea is to get a better picture of how coronavirus is impacting our communities. Toledo-Lucas County Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski said that every time we can add another county, the better off we are to understanding this as a region.
Zgodzinski said that while the survey is in its infancy stage, additional health departments in northwest Ohio are looking into signing on.
Religious holidays
Zgodzinski did address churches at Thursday's conference ahead of a big weekend for religious gatherings.
"It really is hard not to get together," he said.
Zgodzinski reminded residents that many churches have made Mass and other church services available online.
Church leaders are urged to rethink having congregations come together.
"We've worked so hard to flatten that curve," Zgodzinski said. "I really want to stress that if we start getting together, we start adding to the problem we are trying to address."
He also encouraged families to celebrate within their homes and if they wish to reach out to other family members, to consider doing so virtually instead of meeting up in person.
"It's hard, but please don't. There are different ways to get together, but physically getting together is a bad idea," Zgodzinski said.
Toledo Fire Chief Brian Byrd
At Thursday's press conference, Toledo Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Byrd encouraged residents to stay vigilant, and to remember that it isn't just about protecting ourselves, these actions are also necessary to keep others safe.
"We have to think about it in different ways," he said. "We have to worry about taking care of ourselves and other people."
Byrd acknowledged that the minority population is often hard hit under circumstances like this one.
"Health disparities already exist in the African American community - we know that," he said. "It's things such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure... these are things that are already an epidemic in the black community, so now when you throw an epidemic on top of an epidemic it's going to have a negative effect and those people are going to be more vulnerable to catching this virus and suffering more from it."
Byrd expressed concern that after the stay-at-home order was issued, he saw multiple instances of people gathering in large groups for funerals and church services. While he recognized the need to be with family in times like this, he urged residents to be cautious and really consider what's at risk.
"We know everyone needs to grieve; we need to be able to say goodbye to our loved ones," Byrd said. "But, at the same time we can't let grief from one person now cause grief for other people in our family because now they have made contact with someone unknowingly who may have the virus at this large gathering."
Byrd also discussed the need for young people to stay vigilant, as this virus impacts them, too.
"These youngsters that don't feel vulnerable, they feel like they're untouchable, they need to realize that they are vulnerable because this virus doesn't care how old you are," he said.
Byrd went on to thank the community for doing their part, and for making first responders feel appreciated as they work on the front lines.
"As the fire chief, first of all, I have to say thank you. The community has stepped up to help take care of our people in amazing ways," he said. "They're bringing them food, they're leaving signs in the yards of our fire stations so thank you to the community for looking out for us."
Numbers
While Wood County has already begun to report "probable" cases of the virus, Lucas County leaders are working on implementing that into their data points as well.
"You are going to see numbers grow," Zgodzinksi said. "We don't want the community to be scared when they see that, but we have more people that are ill than what's reported with those positives."
He said that this should give us a better idea of what's going on with the community so that when we begin to come out of this curve and go back to normal, they will be able to prepare and have the tools and resources in place to respond to a potential second wave of this down the road.
Zgodzinski said he's hoping to have these additional numbers available sometime early next week.
Wednesday
The COVID-19 numbers for Lucas County for April 8, are as follows:
- 383 total cases;
- 17 deaths;
- 186 male cases;
- 197 female cases;
- The ages range from 3 to 98;
Here's a look at the number of first responders in Lucas County in quarantine and isolation:
Tuesday
New numbers:
The COVID-19 numbers for Lucas County for today, April 7, are as follows:
- 353 total cases
- 17 deaths
- 172 male cases
- 181 female cases
- The ages range from 3 to 98
The two most recent deaths reported Tuesday represent one male in his 50s and one female in her 80s.
Here's a look at the number of first responders in Lucas County in quarantine and isolation:
Self-reporting system
Toledo-Lucas County Health Department Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski on March 31 announced the creation of an online form for Lucas County residents to report suspected symptoms of COVID-19.
The form, which was created through a partnership between the health department and the University of Toledo, can be found by clicking here.
On Tuesday, Zgodzinski announced that the online form was also ready to be used by residents in Fulton and Wood counties to report suspected symptoms of COVID-19.
Lucas County cases by zip code
Monday
New numbers:
As of Monday afternoon, the numbers of COVID-19 cases in Lucas County, according to the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, are as it follows:
- 329 total cases
- 15 deaths
- 162 male cases
- 167 female cases
- The ages range from 3 to 98
The six most recent deaths reported Monday represent three males in their 60s, one male in his 50s, one male in his 70s, and one female in her 70s.
The number of first responders in Lucas County in quarantine and isolation:
- Lucas County Sheriff's Office: 2 in quarantine; 13 in isolation
- Maumee Fire Department: 1 in quarantine;
- Monclova Township Fire Department: 1 in isolation;
- Springfield Township Fire Department: 1 in isolation;
- Toledo Fire & Rescue Department: 19 in quarantine; 14 in isolation;
- Toledo Police Department: 1 in quarantine; 2 in isolation;
- Toledo Fire & Rescue Communications: 2 in quarantine; 4 in isolation;
- Sylvania Fire Department: 1 in isolation;
- Sylvania Police Department: 1 in isolation;
- Whitehouse Fire Department: 1 in isolation;
Totals: 25 in quarantine; 38 in isolation
Economic development
City of Toledo and Lucas County leaders provided an update on what plans are in place for employers and employees around the community who may be struggling financially right now.
Although Toledo-Lucas County Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski wasn't on the briefing, community leaders focused on economic development, jobs, and resources available for employers and employees.
City of Toledo’s economic development commissioner Brandon Sehlhorst started off saying Toledo and Lucas County have had a lot of economic development momentum in the last few years, and the community is still "open for business."
Sehlhorst went on to say a lot of projects are still moving on and others will still be announced. But with that in mind, he said it's not lost on the local government how some businesses that don't have liquidity or workers who lost their jobs are struggling.
With that in mind, Sehlhorst and Lucas County Director of Planning and Development, Tonia Saunders, announced the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce website has information available regarding all the plans the U.S. Congress approved that business can take advantage of.
Saunders said her department is trying to identify the immediate needs of essential businesses. Right now, she said, retail, construction, health care and other industries are in desperate need of workers.
She said her department has been trying to direct job seekers to those positions available and added that OhioMeansJobs and the chamber of commerce have a lot of resources available right now.
Saunders also advised those who are out of work right now to take advantage of local resources in the community to partake in skill trainings. Once the market starts hiring again, it will be easier for workers with more qualifications to stand out, she said.
Additionally, the county and the city are still issuing licenses and other documents for construction companies that want to get back to work as soon as possible. Sehlhorst and Saunders said Lucas County Building Regulations is open and many services are available online.
FULL BRIEFING:
Sunday
NEW NUMBERS
As of Sunday afternoon, the Toledo-Lucas County Joint Information Center says there are 297 total cases of coronavirus in Lucas County.
To date, there have been 9 deaths in the county due to the disease.
There are 152 male cases and 145 female cases with ages ranging from 3 to 98 years old.
LUCAS COUNTY FIRST RESPONDERS IN QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION
Lucas County Sheriff - 2 in quarantine, 13 in isolation
FBI - 1 in isolation
Maumee Fire - 1 in quarantine
Monclova Twp. Fire - 1 in isolation
Springfield Twp. Fire - 1 in isolation
Toledo Fire and Rescue - 24 in quarantine, 14 in isolation
Toledo Police - 1 in quarantine, 4 in isolation
Toledo Fire and Rescue Communications - 3 in quarantine, 3 in isolation
Sylvania Fire - 1 in isolation
Sylvania Police - 1 in isolation
TOTAL - 31 in quarantine, 39 in isolation
The Health Department is continuing to advise people to visit LucasCountyHealth.com or the 24/7 Lucas County Community COVID-19 Call Line Numbers at 419-251-4000 and 419-291-5355 (multilingual).
The public can also call 419-213-4161 and press 4 to leave a message with concerns about non-essential businesses, businesses not adhering to guidelines or crowds gathering.
Facts not fear: Putting COVID-19 into context
WTOL 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit /coronavirus-covid-19 for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan specifically, learn more about the symptoms and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 419-248-1100.
Protect yourself from coronavirus
- Cover: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Dispose: Throw used tissues in a lined can.
- Wash hands: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
- Hand sanitizer: If soap and water are not readily available, use and alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
- Avoid touching: Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.