Each evening after positive tests for Covid-19 are recorded in Ohio County, the statistics are distributed to local media outlets for reporting purposes.
The state Department of Health and Human Resources releases a daily report that includes the agency’s Covid Alert Map as well as the numbers from each of the Mountain State’s 55 counties. On occasion, however, the number of positive cases reported by the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department and the DHHR are different, and sometimes significantly.
By why?
According to Lou Vargo, director of the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency and interim administrator for the Ohio County Commission, the discrepancies occur because the county is bordered by two different states.
“There are sometimes differences with the number of positive cases reported in Ohio County and the number that the state reports for the county, and that’s because of where we live,” Vargo explained. “Because we have neighbors that live in different states, some people come to Ohio County for testing, but not until all the results are reviewed are the cases transferred to their home county.
“The number of positive cases that are reported by the health department each evening are just that, positive tests, but those numbers do not mean they are all Ohio County residents,” he said. “That’s why those numbers vary from the state’s numbers because statistics the state puts out there are after the positives are separated by where those people live.”
The differences, though, have provoked online complaints, concerns, and even accusations.
“I believe we are being as transparent as possible,” Vargo insisted. “We have the clinics operating, we’re still doing a lot of contact tracing, and the testing continues, too, so there are a lot of people working long hours every day, and vacations are not an option for most of them right now. As far as the numbers go, the health department has been reporting the positive cases once the lab results are returned.”
The Power Center
The Ohio County EMA and the health department are now operating a vaccination clinic at the former Michael’s location at The Highlands, and Thursday the staff members welcomed the first group of residents 65 years old and over, and today was dose #2 day for people 80 and over.
Vargo explained the spacious location was set up for enough stations that would allow thousands of inoculations to take place each week in case supplies from Moderna and Pfizer significantly increase in the future.
“So far, the clinic at The Highlands is going very well, and it’s really the best place for it because of the space in the building and because of the parking that’s available to the people,” Vargo said. “We set up 10 lanes for people, so there is plenty of room for social distancing, and because the areas are side-by-side, no one has to walk past anyone during the process. If we get the supply of vaccines, we could do a thousand per day because of so many great volunteers.
“We have EMS personnel there at the clinic, and there is usually a doctor, too, just in case someone has a bad reaction to their first or second dose,” he said. “We’ve still not had a bad reaction other than the sore arm and some fatigue, especially after the second dose.”
During the clinic’s first few days, the makeshift facility has operated without issues pertaining to staffing or delays. The former Michael’s is located in the development’s Power Center near Old Navy and Lane Bryant.
“The clinic at The Highlands is running very smoothly, and most people are not experiencing a wait time because of how those folks are operating at the site,” Vargo said. “Filling out the paperwork takes a couple of minutes, and then you get the shot, and then you’re observed for at least 15 minutes, and then people leave. Of course, we are always hopeful to get more doses from the state so we can keep getting those shots into people’s arms.
“It has really been a community coming together, and Quaker Steak & Lube even delivered everyone lunch today,” he continued. “Christine Thomas from the Lube has always supported us, and that’s what happens in a strong community. Good people helping good people.”
Waiting Game
The state of West Virginia last week opened a call center for residents to call to get registered for a Covid vaccine in their home county, and today the age to get registered was lowered by W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice to 16 years of age.
The DHHR posted this information on its website:
ALL West Virginians over the age of 16 are encouraged to pre-register through the West Virginia COVID-19 Vaccine Registration System.
Vaccine supplies are limited, so pre-registration does not mean immediate access to vaccination. Pre-registration offers West Virginians the opportunity to receive real-time updates on vaccine availability and schedule an appointment when available as vaccine supplies allow.
It is the information in the second paragraph, however, that many seem to be missing, according to the EMA director.
“We are hearing from a lot of people that they have registered, but they haven’t heard anything more,” Vargo said. “But they will hear from someone when their name comes up on the list because it’s really determined by the supply that we receive in Ohio County.
“Once Mr. Gamble (administrator of the Wheeling-Ohio Health Department) receives the word from the state about how many vaccines we will be receiving, he gets the list for that number of doses,” he explained. “It’s a very good thing that people are anxious to get the shots because getting as many people vaccinated as possible is the goal. It’s what is truly best for our community.”
