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Live: Coronavirus rate rising in Lucas County

The Blade - 4/8/2021

Apr. 8—The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department on Thursday noted an increase in community spread of the coronavirus, and urged residents to get the vaccine and observe safety procedures.

The county is approaching an incidence rate of 300 cases per 100,000 population over the last two weeks. That's "very high," as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The previous 14-day period had an incidence rate of 250 cases per 100,000 residents.

And the average number of new cases per day in Lucas County is now above 80 — nearly double the mid-40s average seen in Lucas County since February.

The department appealed to unvaccinated people to get the shots, and to schedule an appointment at www.lucascountyhealth.com/covidvaccine.

People are also urged to maintain 6 feet of social distancing from individuals outside your household, wear proper facial covering when in public or around individuals outside your household, staying home when not feeling well, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces as much as possible.

On Thursday, The Ohio State Fair, set for July 27 to Aug. 7, announced it will not be open to the general public with the focus instead on 4-H youth and senior livestock competitions and educational project judging. Attendance will be limited to exhibitors and their families and guests.

Although the fair will not be canceled outright as it was last year, the Ohio Exposition Commission determined that indoor venue capacity and other restrictions related to coronavirus would make it too financially risky to return to a large-scale fair complete with carnival rides, concerts, and food vendors.

"The financial ramifications of hosting a typical Ohio State Fair with the same overhead costs, but far less revenue, could be devastating to our organization," said Virgil Strickler, general manager. "In a typical year, the Ohio State Fair's budget is designed to break even with a nominal profit, if any. Hosting a full fair this year would likely lead to significant financial loss."

It's a decision that county fairs across the state will also have to make.

Also Thursday, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has flagged for potential fraud about 3,700 of just under 45,000 new claims for unemployment benefits filed last week.

Over the 55 weeks of the pandemic, just under 3.2 million Ohioans have filed claims, more than the combined number filed between 2013 and 2019.

In addition, 283,201 Ohioans continued existing claims for traditional and extended benefits. Just under 95,000 more received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federal program for self-employed, contract, gig, and other workers not eligible for traditional benefits.

The state has distributed a total of $9.3 billion in traditional benefits to 984,000 people and $10.1 billion in PUA to more than 1 million.

First Published April 8, 2021, 12:18pm

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