Ottawa County's COVID-19 Response Updates - Thursday, April 9, 2020

Ottawa County, Michigan sent this bulletin at 04/09/2020 10:00 PM EDT

Updates I Thursday, April 9

Latest COVID-19 Video Update
Media Contact: Kristina Wieghmink, OCDPH public information officer
kwieghmink@miottawa.org I mobile/text 616-510-8523

Stay Home - Stay Safe Executive Order extended to April 30, 2020

Ottawa County Statistics as of April 9, 2020

Approximately, 25% of positive cases have been hospitalized.
Data are are updated daily at miOttawa.org/miHealth.

Groups at Higher Risk for Severe Illness

COVID-19 is a new disease and there is limited information regarding risk factors for severe disease. Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Based on what we know now, those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are:

People 65 years and older
People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility

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 immunocompromised
- Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications
People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher)
People with diabetes
People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
People with liver disease

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Others at Risk

People with Disabilities

Disability alone may not be related to higher risk for getting COVID-19 or having severe illness. Most people with disabilities are not inherently at higher risk for becoming infected with or having severe illness from COVID-19. However, some people with disabilities might be at a higher risk of infection or severe illness because of their underlying medical conditions.

If you have one of the disability types listed below, you might be at increased risk of becoming infected or having unrecognized illness. You should discuss your risk of illness with your healthcare provider.

People who have limited mobility or who cannot avoid coming into close contact with others who may be infected, such as direct support providers and family members
People who have trouble understanding information or practicing preventive measures, such as hand washing and social distancing
People who may not be able to communicate symptoms of illness

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People Experiencing Homelessness

Homeless services are often provided in congregate settings, which could facilitate the spread of infection. Because many people who are homeless are older adults or have underlying medical conditions, they may also be at higher risk for severe disease.

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Pregnant Women

We do not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public nor whether they are more likely to have serious illness as a result. Based on available information, pregnant women seem to have the same risk as adults who are not pregnant.

However, we do know that

Pregnant people have changes in their bodies that may increase their risk of some infections.
Pregnant people have had a higher risk of severe illness when infected with viruses from the same family as COVID-19 and other viral respiratory infections, such as influenza.

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Use the hashtag #OttawaStaysHome on all your social media platforms and tell us why you stay home and what you’re doing to occupy the time. The county will share its favorite posts, images and videos. Be creative! Visit Facebook.com/OttawaCounty.

Click the featured image to share.

Click for the state and local COVID-19 resource list.

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Click for the City of Grand Haven updates.

Public Safety I Transit I Food I Wellness Checks & More

Governor Whitmer Extends, Expands “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order to Save Lives

Governor directs all Michiganders to stay home, stay safe through April 30

Today, Governor Whitmer signed executive order 2020-42, extending her prior “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order through the end of April. As with the prior order, Executive Order 2020-42 limits gatherings and travel and requires all workers who are not necessary to sustain or protect life to stay home. Executive Order 2020-42 also imposes more stringent limitations on stores to reduce foot traffic, slow the spread of the coronavirus, and save lives.

Executive Order 2020-42 prohibits all businesses and operations from requiring workers to leave their homes, unless those workers are necessary to sustain or protect life or to conduct minimum basic operations. Businesses and operations are to designate the workers who meet those criteria, and must adopt social distancing practices and other mitigation measures to protect workers and patrons in the performance of that in-person work.

Workers who are necessary to sustain or protect life include those in health care and public health, law enforcement and public safety, grocery store workers, and more. For a full list of these critical infrastructure workers, click the link to Executive Order 2020-42 at the bottom of this page. To enable these critical workers to get to their workplaces, automobile dealerships will now be allowed to open for remote sales, though showrooms must remain closed.

Under the new order, all public and private gatherings among persons outside a single household remain temporarily prohibited. Though Michiganders may leave the house to get groceries or needed supplies, the new order encourages people to limit the number of household members running errands to the maximum extent possible. As before, people may engage in outdoor activities like walking, hiking, running, cycling, kayaking, canoeing, or any other recreational activity, consistent with remaining at least six feet from people from outside a person’s household and with other restrictions imposed by prior executive orders. The order clarifies, however, that travel for vacations or for any other purpose is prohibited.

A new section of the order imposes restrictions on stores in an effort to reduce crowds. Large stores must limit the number of people in the store at one time to no more than 4 customers for every 1,000 square feet of customer floor space; small stores must limit capacity to 25% of the total occupancy limits (including employees) under the fire codes. To regulate entry, stores must establish lines with markings for patrons to enable them to stand at least six feet apart from one another while waiting. Large stores must also close areas of the store that are dedicated to carpeting, flooring, furniture, garden centers, plant nurseries, or paint.

All individuals who leave their home or place of residence must adhere to social distancing measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including remaining at least six feet from people from outside the individual’s household.

To view Executive Order 2020-42, click the link below:

EO 2020-42.pdf

Resources for sexual assault survivors continue during COVID-19

Survivors can call or text Michigan’s Sexual Assault Hotline
for immediate crisis counseling, support

Counseling, advocacy and resources for survivors of sexual assault remain available during the COVID-19 crisis, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said today. Michigan’s Sexual Assault Hotline, 855-VOICES4, continues to operate and provide 24/7, free, confidential and anonymous support to survivors of sexual assault, their family, and friends.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Raising public awareness about sexual assault, and educating communities about how to prevent it, are the center of the national campaign for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual assault is broadly defined as any form of unwanted sexual contact obtained without consent. National statistics show that one in three women and one in six men experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.

Michigan is First State to Provide Food to Families
Affected by School Closings Caused by COVID-19

Families with children who received free, reduced-cost
lunches at school qualify for new program

Michigan has become the first state in the country to gain federal approval of a program that will provide nutritious food to children who were affected by school closings due to COVID-19. The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (P-EBT) provides temporary funding to address emergency food needs and avert financial hardship for families affected by the pandemic.

The food assistance benefits will go to Michigan families with students ages 5-18 who are enrolled in the Michigan Department of Education program for students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals and will reach approximately 895,000 students. This includes families currently receiving Food Assistance Program benefits as well as those not currently enrolled in the program.