Hamilton health commissioner praises schools for coronavirus work: What they’re doing

Hamilton Health Commissioner Kay Farrar. PROVIDED

Hamilton Health Commissioner Kay Farrar. PROVIDED

Hamilton Health Commissioner Kay Farrar had praise for schools in the city for what they are doing to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

“I want to applaud the schools,” she said. “They’re doing a tremendous job.

“City of Hamilton schools, we’ve had five total cases in the two weeks that we’ve reported. There was only one new one this week. And I will tell you, it’s good to know that four of them were from one family.

“We have not had any cases associated from sitting next to each other in the classroom, and I think that’s good, and we’ll continue to watch that."

St. Joseph Consolidated School had two new cases this week, and a total of two. St. Ann Catholic School has had one, but no new cases this week. St. Peter in Chains, Immanuel Lutheran School and Richard Allen Academy all have reported zero cases.

Badin High School has had four total cases, with one new this week.

Farrar noted that as of Tuesday, 146,753 Ohioans had tested positive, and 126,023 of them were presumed to have recovered.

That left 21,730 who currently are in isolation to prevent the virus' spread.

“As a look back, two weeks ago, that number was 14,845,” she said. “I highlight that just because I want everyone to realize that the numbers are increasing as far as the numbers around us that are positive, so it becomes ever more important for everyone to just take precautions.”

The city’s health department has been receiving notification of seven to 15 new cases daily.

Hamilton has had 14 coronavirus deaths, and none of them were living in long-term care facilities, she said.

As of Tuesday, cases at Miami University totaled 1,396, with a 13-day increase of 312.

“That definitely has settled down, and what the state has seen across the board as we’ve opened up colleges is as classes start, we’re getting less of the bad behavior off campus, and more of the back-to-academics, and the numbers come down,” Farrar said.

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