How front line nurses are doing as pandemic surges
Credit: Will Jones
Credit: Will Jones
Nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in hospitals and nursing homes and more are nine months into the pandemic hitting Ohio and are now on the front lines of the biggest surge of infections yet.
The impact of the rising spread is playing out in hospitals across Ohio. A flood of sick people are stretching nursing staff thin and staff themselves are getting sick. COVID-19 vaccines are now being distributed to hospital staff who are directly caring for patients with the virus but it will take time for the distribution to happen for all health workers. It is expected to be longer still for the vaccines to help reduce the inflow of patients.
Nurses say the experience has been emotionally taxing; nurses are often also the patient’s support person, because visitors are typically not allowed, Deeter said.
DeWine asked what message gun bill sends in wake of Dayton shooting
Credit: Tony Dejak
Credit: Tony Dejak
During a press conference about the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday, Gov. Mike DeWine said he has made his position clear on bills like the “stand your ground” bill heading to his desk after passing the General Assembly this week.
DeWine was asked what he plans to do about the bill and what kind of message the bill sends to the state in the wake of the Dayton’s Oregon District shooting.
Cyberbullying? Tipp City school board members concerned about online comments about board
Credit:
Credit:
Some Tipp City school board members said they think people have crossed the line on social media in comments about the board and individual members.
The board held a lengthy discussion Monday on the district anti-harassment policy and several members asked if there is anything in that policy – or elsewhere – that can be used to deal with those making comments.
District Superintendent Mark Stefanik said the issue appeared on the board agenda because of questions about whether policy was violated by postings on social media during board debates this past year, including the process of appointing Tipp City Public Library trustees.
DeWine, U.S. Surgeon General: Fewer COVID vaccine shipments will not slow distribution
Distribution of the coronavirus vaccine in Ohio is on track, said Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Saturday, despite recent reports of decreased vaccine shipments.
On Friday, an Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman told the Dayton Daily News that Ohio will receive 130,600 fewer doses of the Pfizer vaccine this month than expected, a 48% decrease. In spite of this and reports that other states will receive fewer doses, the time it takes to distribute the vaccine means a slight delay in shipments will not have an outsized effect, according to DeWine.
According to a newly unveiled dashboard from the Ohio Department of Health, as of Saturday, 4,536 Ohioans had received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine, a two-dose regiment. That’s less than 1% of the state’s population.
One bright light in COVID: The elation of recovery
Kendra Grilliot, a nurse in the ICU at the Dayton VA who has been treating COVID patients, has learned to appreciate the joyful moments hidden among the difficulties of working with COVID patients.
Patients in the intensive care environment - after the worst of the COVID infections are behind them - have to work hard to build stamina up before being discharged. Some want to go home. Some need to be moved to long-term care facilities. It’s physical and emotional work just to get their strength back.
But then, the moment arrives.
About the Author