The regional testing site for COVID-19 has been moved in Ohio County to the former location of Harmony House on the campus of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center in Center Wheeling.
Since late March, the testing center was located in the large parking lot at Wheeling Park. Initially, Wheeling Hospital employees established a two-tent location in front of the Stone Center where the Wheeling Park pool is located. The hospital representatives would first test for two strains of influenza and for strep throat, but if negative results were found, a test for COVID-19 would take place.
Then, in early June, the testing was moved to a different area of the parking lot closer to the White Palace. Since last week, though, regional residents have been able to be tested at the top of 22nd Street, and signage is in place to direct those on location.
“The site was moved because I think we all have realized that COVID-19 is not going anywhere anytime soon,” explained Lou Vargo, the director of the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency. “And with fall and winter approaching, we wanted to get the Wheeling Hospital staff members into a situation where they would be safe while conducting the tests.
“Since the testing started at Wheeling Park, the weather has been pretty good for those folks. I think the site was closed early only once or twice because of the weather, so we’ve been pretty lucky since late March,” he said. “But testing for COVID-19 when it is snowing outside is a situation we wanted to avoid.”
Pace of Positives
According to the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, 344 Ohio County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, and six residents have passed away after being infected with the coronavirus. The Marshall County Health Department has recorded 143 positives and one associated death.
“When we first started talking about this in March, there wasn’t a lot of guidance from the state or federal government because it was new for everyone,” Vargo said. “And what we have learned is that during a pandemic, you’re going to have peaks and valleys as far as positive tests are concerned.
“We realized a peak early in the summer that was attributed to people going on vacations and coming back with the coronavirus, and we have seen peaks because of colleges going back into session,” he reported. “So, I believe the peaks and valleys are going to normal from this point, and according to the (federal Center for Disease Control, it doesn’t sound as if we’re going to have a vaccine until sometime in 2021.”
That is why Vargo believes residents need to continue being diligent as far as the suggested precautions are concerned.
“The kids are back in school now, and businesses are operating because of how important it was for us to open back up,” the EMA director said. “There is still the chance, though, to be exposed to the virus and that is why wearing masks, washing our hands, and practicing social distance is still very important right now.
“I know there are the naysayers out there, but I see the majority of people wearing their masks, and that’s a good thing,” Vargo added. “We have new positive tests every day in the state and locally, so that should tell people that COVID-19 is still out there, and it’s not going away anytime soon. For healthy people, it may seem like a really bad flu, but for the at-risk people it is far worse than that, and unfortunately we have seen people pass away because of the complication they have had with it.”
The Level 1 Plan
Administrators of Ohio County Schools announced Wednesday that the third week of in-person instruction will take place with a Level 1 designation, and that means students wishing to attend classes will do so on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Whether or not that plan remains in place is a decision that will made soon now that a staff member at Triadelphia Middle School has tested positive for COVID-19.
Families wishing to continue with the school system’s virtual platform will be able do so, as well.
“We felt that our first week went very well, so we began the Level 1 conversation at the end of the first week,” explained Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones. “And we’ve had a very good second week of school, too, so moving the students to Level 1 is something that we’ve all wanted to see happen as soon as possible.
“All of the students, the teachers, and our employees are failing the next precautions,” he continued. “And, based on the survey that we put out there for our parents, a vast majority want to see their kids go to their school buildings because they believe that the in-person scenario is the best way for their children to learn.”
Superintendent Dr. Kim Miller, the mother or two daughters attending Ohio County Schools, feels the same.
“Having our students in our classrooms, I believe, is the best way to go about education on any level, and that is why our plan for next week is for the four days in school,” she explained. “Of course, we all know that could change depending on the testing and the results in Ohio County because those numbers determine what we can accomplish in our classrooms.
“A lot of hard work went into improving our virtual platform, so I am very confident that the students learning online are doing very well,” Dr. Miller said. “Hopefully, over time, we will be able to get all of the students back into their school buildings.”
