Doctors and nurses are still treating COVID-19 patients while at the same time the fight over masks went to court and has already hit an obstacle.
One Thursday Governor DeWine spoke of the impact the pandemic continues to have on our hospitals, more than a year and a half after the state confirmed its first case.
“They’re facing a severe nursing and staffing crisis,” DeWine said.
As of Sept. 24, Ohio hospitals had 3700 COVID patients, much different than the 200 reported in mid July.
The Ohio Hospital Association sent a letter to the governor Thursday and called this a “dire situation.”
Many hospitals “experiencing more COVID-19 patients…” “…than they have seen at any point in the pandemic. It’s taking a “massive toll” on front-line workers.
DeWine plead for people to get vaccinated, “Vaccinations are the way that we stop our hospitals from being overcrowded.”
With concerns over covid leading to continued mask requirements in many of our schools, some parents took their fight over mask requirements to the courthouse this week.
Lynn-Ellen Graham said she puller her son out of Huber Heights City schools after that district reinstated masks earlier this month.
“I just want it to be the parent’s choice,” Graham said.
Back in August the superintendent of the school district said they were “under significant strain” because of cases and contact tracing.
Daniel Levinson and her family from Huber Heights said, “Individual rights and freedoms. That’s literally our concern.”
The family was among Miami Valley parents in at least three districts who filed federal lawsuits on behalf of their children.
One lawsuit stated, “There is no law that states a school board, or a school board superintendent supersedes (their) rights as a parent.”
However, the judge threw out the cases.
He said parents cannot file suit on behalf of their children. At least without a lawyer.
Levinson said, “That puts parents in a sticky situation, parents that feel like we feel, it puts them in a sticky situation that they cannot afford to pay for an attorney. So how are we supposed to protect our kids?”
The judge said families can refile their cases if they correct what he said procedural issues in that filing.
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