Kettering officials call record area COVID hospital patients a ‘crisis’

The West Central Ohio region — which includes Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby counties — had 652 COVID patients in its hospitals as of Monday, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. FILE

Credit: Will Jones

Credit: Will Jones

The West Central Ohio region — which includes Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby counties — had 652 COVID patients in its hospitals as of Monday, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. FILE
Local News
By
Jan 26, 2022
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Kettering officials called the rise in coronavirus cases a “crisis” after Dayton region hospitals set a record for the number of COVID patients.

Kettering Mayor Peggy Lehner and Councilman Bruce Duke cited a Dayton Daily News article in which the Greater Dayton Hospital Association the vast of the region’s COVID patients and nearly nine out of 10 in intensive care units have not received a single dose of coronavirus vaccine.

“This is serious folks,” Lehner said at a Kettering City Council meeting Tuesday night. “We have to take this as a crisis.”

ExploreCommunity Conversation focuses on urgent plea from local hospitals amid COVID surge

The West Central Ohio region — which includes Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby counties — had 652 COVID patients in its hospitals as of Monday, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. That was a 9% increase compared to last week and a 27% increase compared to three weeks ago.

Both said Lehner and Duke said they know of people who have died in the past week due to COVID. Duke also cited recent data indicating fewer than 60% of all Montgomery County residents have started or received a full vaccine.

“If you know those folks, if you are one of those folks, I plead for your lives,” Duke said. “This is serious.”

“If you know of someone who needs help with this, take them if they need to be taken to get a vaccine,” he added. “This is critical.”

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Nick Blizzard is a staff writer for the Dayton Daily News. He is a graduate of Stebbins High School who earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and its E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Nick is a Riverside native who has lived in Huber Heights and Kettering. He has been a journalist in the Dayton area for more than 25 years.