Lake County General Health District recommends senior centers stay closed for rest of year | News

The Lake County General Health District has recommended that the county’s senior centers remained closed for the rest of 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The health district stated in a news release this week that continued closures will minimize risk, prevent morbidity and mortality, and allow the time necessary for centers to develop proper testing protocols and safety measures, train staff, and monitor the burden of COVID-19 on Lake County’s most at-risk residents.

Limited appointment-only services at senior centers may be approved on a case-by-cases basis.

The decision to recommend the continued closures will be reassessed at the beginning of 2021, the health district stated.

The health district noted that it considered a variety of factors in determining the recommendation. That included access to adequate COVID-19 testing for both staff and participants, senior center staff training needs, local hospital census, case status in both Lake and surrounding counties in accordance with the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, and seasonal flu immunizations and projections.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases as people grow older, and includes people of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:

• People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
• People who have serious heart conditions
• People who are immuno-compromised
• People with severe obesity (body mass index of 30 or higher)
• People with diabetes
• People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
• People with liver disease. 

“As people age, their immune systems change, making it more difficult for their body to fight off disease and infection, and because older adults are also more likely to have underlying health conditions, recovery can be more difficult,” the health district stated. “To date, 63 percent of Lake County residents hospitalized with COVID-19 were over 60 years of age. This age group also accounts for 63% of ICU admissions, and 96% of COVD-19 fatalities in Lake County.” 

The health district stated that it will work with senior center directors and staff to develop a plan for a safe re-opening of their facilities, including, but not limited to, testing, reporting, training, assessment, and “other critical infrastructure to prevent COVID-19.”

As of 2 p.m. Sept. 29, Lake County has 1,660 total COVID-19 cases according to the Ohio Department of Health. Of that figure 1,417 are presumed recovered. According to ODH, presumed recovered is defined as symptom onset date greater than 21 days prior who are not deceased.

ODH data shows that there have been 175 hospitalizations and 51 deaths due to COVID-19 as of 2 p.m. Sept. 29. 

Those with questions regarding COVID-19 exposure can contact the health district at [email protected] or by calling 440-350-2188.