The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) announced on January 12 that the distribution of free at-home COVID tests through public libraries will be paused and priority given to supporting school and university testing.
Since September 2021, the Bluffton Public Library has distributed some 3,000 tests to the public.
As of the afternoon of January 13, the Bluffton Schools did not know when to expect delivery of tests. Superintendent Greg Denecker contemplated turning over tests to the Bluffton library.
Remember Silver and Gold sung by Burl Ives in the 1964 movie Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, a Christmas classic widely known by many different generations? In 2005, Silver and Gold was included on the Disney Princess Christmas Album. Many may be familiar with Dolly Parton’s Silver and Gold released in 1991 with the lyric “And time can’t be brought back with silver and gold.” This line is particularly poetic during the pandemic. Grammy-award winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin released a song titled Silver and Gold in 1993.
Bronchiolitis is one of the most common respiratory illnesses among young children. It's caused by a viral infection that affects the tiny airways in the lung called the bronchioles. As these airways become inflamed, they swell and fill with mucus which can make breathing difficult. Bronchiolitis is not the same as bronchitis which is an infection of the larger airway that typically causes health issues in adults.
In 1985, the successful film Out of Africa was released even though it was not well received by critics. The film was loosely based on the 1937 autobiography of Isak Dinesen, which was the pseudonym of Danish writer Karen Blixen. The film starred Meryl Streep and Robert Redford and was directed by Sydney Pollack. The movie won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. The Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture for a Drama was awarded to Out of Africa in 1986.
EMS Chief Jan Basinger reports that the Bluffton EMS had a record year for calls for service and number of patient transports in 2021. The all volunteer crew had 756 calls in 2021 which resulted in 499 patients being transported.
These numbers eclipsed the 2020 record of 573 calls and the previous record for patient transports of 398 in 2019.
Blanchard Valley Health System, including Bluffton Hospital, has issued the following COVID testing and vaccine guidance with the goal of keeping patients and associates safe.
It answers the questions 1) When is it best to test? and 2) Why are booster shots important?
