COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said Ohioans should wear masks indoors as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge, but he said there is “low tolerance” in the state for mandates.
What You Need To Know
- Dr. Vanderhoff said the people of Ohio seem opposed to mask mandates
- The Ohio Department of Health recommends masks indoors as cases rise
- Some Ohio hospitals are delaying elective surgeries due to the current surge
Ohio’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by 22% in the last week, causing more hospitals to postpone elective surgeries, divert patients and limit visitation policies, Vanderhoff said during a news conference Thursday.
Responding to a question about why he hasn’t recommended a statewide mask mandate to the governor, Vanderhoff said he supports masks indoors due to the surge, but acknowledges that the people of Ohio appear resistant to a requirement.
“I think that we need to be clear on what I have said and what I am recommending, and I am recommending that we all take the steps that are necessary, proven and important for protecting ourselves, those we love and our communities from COVID-19,” Vanderhoff said.
While vaccines are the best tool to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, Vanderhoff said masks will make an impact if Ohioans get behind wearing them.
“It is the people of Ohio who have to make it work. It is the people of Ohio who have to choose those paths towards the brighter future, and we have to recognize that this is a democracy, and in a democracy people have the right to govern, and they have made it very clear that there is a low tolerance for mandates,” he said.
On Wednesday, Columbus became the first major city in Ohio to announce that it is reinstating a mask mandate. Asked for his reaction to the city’s mandate, Vanderhoff only said that the Ohio Department of Health will require masks for its employees who work in Columbus.
Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, an infectious disease specialist at OhioHealth, joined Vanderhoff for the news conference and said he was thankful for Mayor Andrew Ginther’s leadership with the mask mandate.
“The science is clear on wearing a mask. Is mask-wearing perfect? No, it's not, but it is an important mitigation recommendation,” he said.
Gastaldo said the health system’s staff are dealing with high patient numbers and becoming increasingly exhausted.
“The mood in the hospital is really full of emotion. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, technicians — there is an overall feeling of sadness, physical and emotional fatigue, and frank frustration,” Gastaldo said, referencing the fact that most of their patients are unvaccinated.
Vanderhoff said Ohio’s positivity rate for COVID-19 has risen to 13.3%, while one in four patients in the state’s intensive care units are battling COVID-19.
On Thursday, 3,178 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 and 873 patients were in intensive care units, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.
The doctors said the virus is moving from south to north within Ohio, with Columbus and Cincinnati hospitals faring a bit worse than those in the Cleveland area. Vanderhoff said he expects numbers to rise in northern Ohio in the coming days and weeks.
“The wave hit the southernmost portions of the state before it hit the northern portions of the state. However, we're seeing growing volumes also now in the north,” he said. “I don't think that this is a wave that is sparing any part of the state. I think it is simply a wave that is moving in time from the south to the north.”.