With the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country, it has become crucial to keep yourself updated about the terms linked with this infectious disease. From symptoms to tests, having knowledge about some common scientific term linked with coronavirus can help you in the early detection of disease and prevention. One such term that has now become part of the regular use is Ct value, indicated in COVID-19 Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, to determine if the patient is positive or not. What is the Ct value?Ct value, short of cycle threshold, is the marker of viral load in a patient infected with SARS-CoV-2. The number is reflected in the RT-PCR test report, which is considered a gold standard for detection of the presence of coronavirus. In simple words, the Ct value refers to the number of cycles after which the virus can be detected in the RNA collected from the swab of the patient. How is the Ct value determined?In the RT-PCR test, the RNA of the virus is extracted from the swab collected from the nose and throat of the patient. The collected RNA is then converted into DNA, which is later amplified. In the Amplification process, multiple copies of the DNA are created to improve the chances of detecting the presence of the virus. The process of amplification takes place in cycles and after multiple cycles, a detectable amount of virus is produced. Ct Value is referred to the number of cycles at which the fluorescent signal of the PCR product crosses the threshold and becomes detectable. Why is Ct value important?The Ct value in the RT-PCR test helps to determine the viral load in the patient. The higher the number of cycles, the lower the viral load and vice versa. If the virus is spotted after a few cycles that means higher viral load. Low Ct value also means that a high amount of virus is present in the throat and nose of the patient that can be transmitted to others easily. Also, there is no correlation between the Ct value and the severity of the case. The significance of the threshold of 35?Globally, the acceptable Ct value cut off for COVID-19 is between 35 and 40. This differs depending on the instructions from respective manufacturers of the testing equipment. In India, the IMCR has indicated taking the Ct value as 35 after considering the inputs from various virology labs.A patient is considered COVID-19 negative if the Ct value is 35 or more in the RT-PCR test. The number below 35 is considered COVID-19 positive. The limitationsThe Ct value is considered as the parameter to determine the viral load and contagiousness in most coronavirus cases, however, it might have some limitations. The Ct value may vary depending on the factors like the method of specimen collection, source, transportation, and the time gap in contracting the infection, collection, and analysis.
A person holds a mask while walking outside in Philadelphia on Friday. New coronavirus cases have dropped, but health experts caution that not enough Americans have been vaccinated to completely extinguish the virus. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption
A person holds a mask while walking outside in Philadelphia on Friday. New coronavirus cases have dropped, but health experts caution that not enough Americans have been vaccinated to completely extinguish the virus.
New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus.
As cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed. Hugs and unmasked crowds returned to the White House, a Mardi Gras-style parade marched through Alabama's port city of Mobile, and even states that have stuck to pandemic-related restrictions readied to drop them. However, health experts also cautioned that not enough Americans have been vaccinated to completely extinguish the virus, leaving the potential for new variants that could extend the pandemic.
As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552 a rate not seen since July last year. It's a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January.
"As each week passes and as we continue to see progress, these data give me hope," Walensky said Friday at a news conference.
Health experts credit an efficient rollout of vaccines for the turnaround. More than 60% of people over 18 have received at least one shot, and almost half are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. But demand for vaccines has dropped across much of the country. President Joe Biden's administration is trying to convince other Americans to sign up for shots, using an upbeat message that vaccines offer a return to normal life.
White House health officials on Friday even waded into offering dating advice. They are teaming up with dating apps to offer a new reason to "swipe right" by featuring vaccination badges on profiles and in-app bonuses for people who have gotten their shots.
Ohio, New York, Oregon and other states are enticing people to get vaccinated through lottery prizes of up to $5 million.
Across the country, venues and events reopened after shuttering for much of the last year.
On Saturday, Karen Stetz readied to welcome what she hoped would be a good crowd to the Grosse Pointe Art Fair on Michigan's Lake St. Clair.
With natural ventilation from the lake and mask and capacity restrictions easing, Stetz was optimistic that artists who make their living traveling a show circuit that ground to a halt last year would begin to bounce back. The event usually draws from 5,000 to 10,000 people.
"I feel like most people are ready to get out," Stetz said by phone shortly before opening the fair. "It seems like people are eager, but it's hard to know still. I'm sure there's a percentage of people that are going to wait until they're comfortable."
In Mobile, thousands of joyful revelers, many without masks, competed for plastic beads and trinkets tossed from floats Friday night as Alabama's port city threw a Mardi Gras-style parade. But only about a quarter of the county's population is fully vaccinated. Many went without masks, though health officials had urged personal responsibility.
Alabama's vaccination rate 34% of people have received at least one dose is one of the lowest in the country. It's part of a swath of Southern states where vaccine uptake has been slow. Health experts worry that areas with low vaccination rates could give rise to new virus variants that are more resistant to vaccinations.
"My biggest concern is new strains of the virus and the need to remain vigilant in the months ahead," said Boston College public health expert Dr. Philip J. Landrigan.
A medical center in Louisiana reported Friday it has identified the state's first two cases of a COVID-19 variant that has spread widely since being identified in India. The COVID-19 variant has been classified as a "variant of concern" by Britain and the World Health Organization, meaning there is some evidence that it spreads more easily between people, causes more severe disease, or might be less responsive to treatments and vaccines. The variant has also been reported in several other states, including Tennessee, Nebraska and Nevada.
Though Landrigan said the big drop in cases nationwide was "the best news we've had on the pandemic" and showed that vaccines are working, he warned that people should remain vigilant for local flare-ups of new cases.
Many states have largely dropped orders to wear masks and stay distanced from other people. Meanwhile, even places such as California the first state to issue a statewide shutdown as the virus emerged in March 2020 prepared to remove restrictions on social distancing and business capacity next month.
State health director Dr. Mark Ghaly said Friday the decision was based on dramatically lower virus cases and increased vaccinations.
But in Vermont the state with the highest percentage of people who have received one shot Gov. Phil Scott has tied the lifting of restrictions to the vaccination rate. He offered to lift all remaining restrictions before a July 4 deadline if 80% of those eligible get vaccinated.
Landrigan figured it will take a nationwide vaccination rate of at least 85% to snuff out the virus. But for now, the steep drop in cases gave him hope that pandemic-level infection rates will soon be a thing of the past.
"It is getting to the point to where by the Fourth of July we might be able to declare this thing over," he said.
A staff member demonstrates the usage of Breathonix breathalyzer test kit developed by Breathonix, a start-up by the National University of Singapore, able to detect the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) within a minute according to the company, at their laboratory in Singapore October 29, 2020. REUTERS/Chen Lin/File Photo
Singapore authorities have provisionally approved a COVID-19 breathalyser test that aims to show whether someone is infected with the coronavirus in under a minute, according to the local startup that developed the product.
Breathonix, a spin-off company from the National University of Singapore (NUS), said it is now working with the health ministry to run a deployment trial of the technology at one of the city-state's border points with Malaysia.
The breath analysis will be carried out alongside the current compulsory COVID-19 antigen rapid test.
The breath test achieved more than 90% accuracy in a Singapore-based pilot clinical trial, the company said last year.
The Health Sciences Authority's website confirmed the approval, which the company said was the first such system to secure provisional authorisation in Singapore.
The system uses disposable mouthpieces and is designed to ensure there is no cross-contamination. After blowing into the device, the technology assesses the chemical compounds of the breath to determine whether or not a person is infected.
Any individual screened as positive will need to undergo a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 swab test, the company said.
Breathonix said it is in discussion with several local and overseas organisations to use the system, citing strong commercial interest. Other countries, including Indonesia and the Netherlands, have rolled out similar breath tests. read more
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(NEXSTAR) After more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, most people are eager for life to return to normal, as it was before the pandemic.
But that time may never come.
COVID-19 likely wont go away, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine.
Until vaccine equity is established, until people are not hesitant about the vaccine, this wont go away, he said.
Because COVID-19 was transmitted from animals to humans, and its unlikely that the world can vaccinate or euthanize all the animal carriers, the virus will continue to circulate, potentially indefinitely.
COVID-19 isnt like other infectious diseases, such as smallpox, which was effectively eliminated after global vaccine efforts.
Its going to stay around and have flares, Chin-Hong said.
Unless we vaccinate everyone at the same time, youll have flares, he said. And every time you have a flare, theres the possibility of creating variants.
Some parts of the U.S. are effectively open, with very low viral case rates, such as in California, where Chin-Hong lives. But the physician doesnt expect things to stay calm indefinitely.
He says the current low case rate in places like California is due to vaccination in combination with a huge spike in cases in the winter, during which people recovered and developed natural immunity, meaning immunity not from the vaccine, but from catching the virus.
Natural immunity likely fades faster than the protection from the vaccine within 6 to 12 months, physicians believe. Once it fades in a majority of the population, that paves the way for flares.
Vaccine hesitancy is hardly an American-only problem. A recent Gallup poll found that nearly 1.3 billion adults would not agree to be vaccinated. Only two in three adults worldwide said they would get the vaccine even if it was available to them at no cost which isnt enough for global herd immunity.
That said, Chin-Hong does believe life will return to almost normal eventually. He expects well feel relief regionally, and develop regional herd immunity.
There will probably be countries with much less disease than others, he said. But as long as were traveling back and forth, theres potential for it to randomly flare-up.
Chin-Hong says measles provides a good example. A lot of people are immunized against it but not everyone and that means there will still be outbreaks occasionally when someone travels from elsewhere and exposes a large group of people not vaccinated against the disease.
The key is to get as many humans vaccinated against COVID as possible, and quickly, before new variants develop.
Ultimately, thats the only avenue by which we can squash COVID to the bare minimum, Chin-Hong said.
In the Customer Experience report, we look at the many ways companies and consumers interact and how companies might make those experiences better for consumers. Previous coverage and new stories running this week can be found here.
Time is running out for waiting rooms.
In the name of efficiency, profits, public health and a better customer experience, healthcare providers around the country are looking at changing every aspect of the waiting-room experience, from the furniture to the fish tank.
Few people have ever wanted to wait for their doctor in uncomfortable chairs staring at a display case of old toys and years-old magazines. But the pandemic has pushed both patients and healthcare providers to a new appreciation of the risk in continuing to corral sick and healthy together in close quarters.
Historically, the waiting room has served several functions. It is where doctors collect all of the necessary information (and then some) from patients via the dreaded clipboard. It is where patients settle their bills, often through a pane of glass or plastic with a receptionist behind it. And, of course, it is a holding pen for patients to wait until the doctor is ready to see them.
Britain reported on Sunday 2,235 more cases of COVID-19 and five further deaths within 28 days of a positive test, official data showed.
The total number of people to have received a first vaccine dose reached 37,943,681, the data also showed.
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OLYMPIA Coffee shops, construction companies, bars, casinos, long-term care facilities, a hospital.
Throughout the COVID-19 state of emergency, some businesses across Spokane struggled to follow guidelines.
Some chose to stay open despite regulations because they feared losing business. Others failed to offer proper social distancing for employees or signs to customers about wearing masks.
As of the first week of May, the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) had issued $7.3 million worth of fines to businesses failing to follow COVID-19 guidelines or mask mandates. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board received 11,836 complaints about bars refusing to follow guidelines.
From January to March of this year alone, 25 Spokane businesses received citations from L&I, totaling nearly $174,000. The county had the second-highest number of businesses cited during this period, following King County, which cited 26 businesses. Pierce County was third, citing 19.
Clearly, Spokane is just a small slice, L&I spokesman Tim Church said.
The businesses in Spokane with the most fines during that time period are:
None of them returned The Spokesman-Reviews request for comment.
Some of the businesses may have appealed their citations, which can take a long time to resolve, Church said.
For the entire state of emergency, 15 Spokane bars were investigated for a COVID-19 related complaint, according to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. Most received some sort of warning, but five received some kind of penalty, starting at $500 or a five-day suspension.
The Liquor and Cannabis Board deals only with businesses, such as bars or restaurants, that have some sort of liquor license.
The violations include not having a sign on the door signaling to customers to wear a mask and keeping indoor dining open during a time when it was not allowed or at very little capacity, Church said. For a restaurant or a gym that remained opened when they shouldnt have been, they received fines by the day.
Spokane was in Phase 1 of reopening, which kept the county relatively closed, until mid-February. The county then moved to Phase 2, which still restricted indoor dining to 25% capacity.
Violations are broken down into two categories: general or serious. Both types can be considered willful or not willful, meaning the business disregards known rules or has no idea what the rules are in the first place.
A serious violation has a fee associated with it, and if it is willful, the fine grows.
The fines go up exponentially, Church said.
Much of the $7.3 million in L&I fines statewide come from a few businesses who stayed open or ignored worker safety. Gebbers Farm Operations in Brewster received a more than $2 million fine in December after workers complained about COVID-19 conditions. Stuffys II Restaurant in Longview is facing nearly $1 million in citations. Maple Valley Fitness is facing more than $412,000 in fines, Church said.
In Spokane County, so far this year, the company with the largest number of fines is Coles Coffee Shop in Spokane Valley.
The coffee shop had three inspections in February, each resulting in multiple COVID-19 violations. The shop had 14 serious COVID-19 violations totaling more than $126,000 in fines.
One of the citations alleged the coffee shop was open for business and offering indoor dining services despite the states emergency orders prohibiting businesses from offering indoor dining at the time.
COVID-19 remains a significant health risk that has continued to worsen in Washington State and continued operations in contravention of the orders of the Governor unnecessarily endangers employees and creates a substantial probability that death or serious harm could result, the citation reads.
L&I said information about where the citations are in the potential appeals process was not immediately available.
Either a member of the public or an employee can submit COVID-19 complaints to L&I at the states coronavirus response website. L&I oversees both public-facing businesses, such as a grocery store, and businesses that arent public-facing, such as a construction or manufacturing company.
Many of the large citations are likely in the appeals process, which could go on for some time, Church said. Smaller fines likely are paid sooner because it can cost more to appeal than pay the fine.
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center received a $4,200 fine in March of this year for not ensuring their employees practiced social distancing at nursing workstations, report rooms, and break rooms, according to the citation.
A statement from Providence Health Care said the citation alleged the need for additional social distancing during employee breaks in several areas of the hospital: Providence is cooperating with Labor & Industries, we have addressed the allegation and have appealed the violation. That process is on-going.
When L&I visits a business, inspectors come unannounced, Church said.
Lilac Lanes and Casino general manager Ernie Williams said it was frustrating that they did not get a warning or time to fix their issues before receiving a fine.
The bowling alley and casino in Spokane received a $3,600 fine.
Williams said the citation alleged they did not have enough signage for social distancing or masks, and a few customers were not wearing masks properly.
Williams said they fixed everything immediately.
They appealed the fines and got them down to $2,700, Williams said. Theyve since paid the fine, which added to the million-dollar debt theyve incurred since the pandemic started.
He said it was completely unfair that they did not get a warning. He said they always protected their staff and customers.
We never endangered our staff at all, he said. It was frustrating.
Other businesses cited by L&I in Spokane include Super 1 Foods, which received a $2,700 fine for not ensuring employees properly social distanced or wore a mask. Super 1 Foods did not respond to comment by press time.
Most of the other businesses cited this year are construction or manufacturing companies in Spokane.
Laurel Demkovich's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspapers managing editor.
Daniel Clarke Petersen(Photo: Provided by Debra Petersen)
This obituary is part of We Will Remember, a series about those weve lost to the coronavirus.
Daniel Clarke Petersen, who stood 6-foot-10, was known as a gentle giant who always had a smile on his face and who loved spending time with family and friends.
Petersen, 30, died April 22, 2020, at the University of Michigan Hospital of complications from COVID-19.
He was a graduate of Farmington High School beforeattendingVisions Unlimited, a post-secondary program that serves young adults with developmental and physical disabilities.
"He learned life skills in regard to transitioning out of school, including job skills,"his mother, Debra Petersen, said about his time at Visions Unlimited.
Daniel Petersen at a swim meet in March 2008(Photo: Provided by Debra Petersen)
Petersen participated in the Special Olympics on Team Farmington and enjoyed various sports, especially swimming, in his free time.
Hewas very family-oriented and always celebrated the success of others, recalls his sister Bethany Petersen, who added:Daniel loved his family and was so proud of his sisters. He would tell everyone how his sister Katie played volleyball for U of M Dearborn, that his sister Lauren was a wonderful teacher and that his sister Bethany is a child life specialist at U of M."
Some of his favorite pastime activities includedplaying Xbox, being in a gamers club and participating in other activities at the Living and Learning Enrichment Center in Northville. The centers mission is to help individuals with autism and related challenges reach their full potential in work, relationships and in the community.
From left to right: Eric Wasiloff, Lauren Wasiloff (holding James Wasiloff), Daniel Petersen, Debbie Petersen, Don Petersen, Katie Petersen and Bethany Petersen.(Photo: Provided by Debra Petersen)
Bethany Petersen recalled that her brother was known for being kind and caring and always made sure that his friends had somewhere to go on holidays.
"He would invite them into our family to celebrate days such as Thanksgiving, Christmasand Easter with us, and treated them so well, making sure they were fed and had gifts to open," she said.
At times, Petersen was a man of few words, according to Bethany, but when it came to history, he loved to talk with veterans about their military experiences.
He also enjoyedtrying different foods, going to themoviesandvisitingthe assisted-living home wherehis grandmother lived. While there, he spent time being a bingo caller.
Daniel Petersen(Photo: Provided by Debra Petersen)
Petersen loved animals, especially his golden retriever named Brody, and was a volunteer with the Humane Society.
Bethany Petersen had COVID-19 first and suffered extreme fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, weakness, distorted taste, chills and body aches. Hermother also became sick and tested positive for the coronavirus.
I still have ongoing fatigue and headaches since recovering from COVID, Debra Petersen said.
Petersen and his father went to get tested after they started to feel ill.
It progressed very quickly for him, Debra Petersen said of her son.
On April 17, Petersenwas admitted to the University of Michigan Hospital. On April 19, he was put on a ventilator, and hedied a few days later.
Two hours after Petersen died, his father, who was experiencing a high fever, chills, body shakes, shortness of breath and distorted taste, was admitted to the University of Michigan Hospital, but he recovered.
Petersen is survived by his parents, Donald and Debra (Crane); sisters Lauren (Eric), Katherine and Bethany; two nephews; grandmother Elizabeth Crane, and aunts, uncles and cousins.
"We are resting in the happy memories of Daniel and knowing he lived a life of love and service," Bethany Petersen said.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Michigan Humane Society or the Living and Learning Enrichment Center.
The family has a visitation planned 4-8 p.m. July 23 at Heritage Park in Farmington and a celebration of life at 3 p.m. July 24 at Greenmeadin Livonia.
If you have a family member or close friend who has died from COVID-19 and you would like to share their story, please visit our memorial wall and select Share a story.
Brendel Hightower is an assistant editorat the Detroit Free Press.Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com.
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Licking County Sheriff Captain Chris Barbuto walks by a dental chair in the medical wing at the Licking County Justice Center in Newark, Ohio on May 6, 2021. (Photo: Ty Wright/The Advocate)
NEWARK -Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Licking County officials are uncertain about what the future of the countys jail population could, or should, look like beyond the pandemic.
Days after the novel coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, the Licking County Sheriffs Office instituted policies that would help them prepare for the possibility of an outbreak, lowering their jail population by 26%. The changes allowed jail staff to make room for isolation and quarantine areas in the jail in case of a coronavirus outbreak.
More:Licking County Jail population reduced by 26% in preparation for coronavirus
Licking County's judges were asked to make a decision on who they wanted to release from the jail and they considered numerous factors including the time left on an individual's sentence and the nature of the offense. For those in jail on probation violations, most of those released had completed a majority of their sentence. Some people were placed on GPS monitoring.
In another effort to curb the jail population, area law enforcement began issuing more summonses rather than making arrests for non-violent offenses.
During a recent interview with Licking County Justice Center Commander Capt. Chris Barbuto, he said their COVID-19 policies for the jail still remain intact.
Licking County Sheriff Captain Chris Barbuto (left) and Lieutenant Craig Ford walk through the Orientation Unit at the Licking County Justice Center in Newark, Ohio on May 6, 2021. If inmates contract COVID-19 they are housed in the Orientation Unit where they are quarantined for 10 days . They are checked on everyday, at least once a day, while they are quarantined in the unit.(Photo: Ty Wright/The Advocate)
"Now we're in a position where obviously any violent felony or misdemeanor or probation violation that's done from a violent felony or misdemeanor, we take regardless of a screening. We do have a screening process," he said. "Even if an inmate is on a misdemeanor charge or OVI commit, if we have the space, we will take them."
He explained if an inmate is refused due to a screening, the jail will incarcerate the individual depending on the circumstances.
According to Barbuto, some of their screening involves checking for temperatures and any COVID-related symptoms, along with whetherthe individual had been around anyone with symptoms recently.
More:Licking County jail COVID-19 restrictions create revolving door for Newark property crime
Looking to the future, Barbuto said their agency has been and will continue taking their guidance from the Ohio Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevnention, and the Licking County Health Department.
"We are learning as a facility the way the community is learning how to operate with COVID. I don't know as far as the future, what the jail will look like," Barbuto said. "Obviously we want the pandemic to end and go back to the way we were, but we continue to take our clearance from the CDC and health departments."
Barbuto emphasized that area law enforcement, the probation departments, the judges and the jail have worked well to balance those who need to be in the jail with the health and safety of the jail community, and the public. He also noted the Licking County Health Department recently began vaccinating inmates for COVID-19 on a voluntary basis.
According to data provided by the Licking County Prosecutor's Office, their agency had 702 cases filed as either an indictment or a warrant in 2020. Of that number, 232 involved violent offenses.
One of the exam rooms in the medicals wing at the Licking County Justice Center in Newark, Ohio on May 6, 2021.(Photo: Ty Wright/The Advocate)
As of May this year, the agency has filed 270 cases as either an indictment or warrant and of those, 68 have involved violent offenses.
When it comes to the jail population, Licking County Common Pleas Judge David Branstool said he thought as things open up and life resumes in some ways to how it used to be, whatever processes the jail has in place now may go away.
If that all goes away, will the jail population increase? Maybe, the judge said. He explained court officials have struggled in cases where an individual is on pre-trial release or on community control supervision and for example, continue to use substances. Branstool said its been hard to deal with situations like that because sometimes their only option is to save the person from themselves through temporary incarceration.
Adult Court Services Director Michele Hamann said their department has been challenged to look at other options aside from incarceration.
What do we do with people other than putting people in jail? Hamann questioned. I think thats always going to be a challenge and that still needs to continue to be a challenge even when the jail opens, is what do we do with people that struggle with mental health, substance abuse, (and other things)?
Licking County Sheriff Captain Chris Barbuto (left) and Lieutenant Craig Ford walk through the Orientation Unit at the Licking County Justice Center in Newark, Ohio on May 6, 2021. If inmates contract COVID-19 they are housed in the Orientation Unit where they are quarantined for 10 days . They are checked on everyday, at least once a day, while they are quarantined in the unit.(Photo: Ty Wright/The Advocate)
The director said she understands they have to look at how they handle non-violent offenders in a different way. She noted their agency is already doing that through T-CAP, or Targeted Community Alternatives to Prison. Their office, she said, does a good job looking at other avenues and are working to come up with different ways to sanction people, but in some cases, said they need to be able to "back up their bark."
According to Hamann, their agency used GPS units on probationers less in 2020 than in 2019. She noted their biggest use of the devices was when they were in the office more, toward the end of 2020.
"If we could not get people in jail, we used GPS and house arrest - things we typically do now," she explained. "The success was not always great, because we could stop them from using and sometimes absconding."
At Licking County Municipal Court, Judge David Stansbury said the countywont reach one day suddenly where people say the pandemic is over and were back to normal.
Its going to be a fluid transition. I think its a very complicated situation because jail space is at even more of a premium given the limitations on the common pleas court judges in imposing prison sentences, Stansbury said.
Although he wasnt certain how he compares to other judges when it comes to incarcerating individuals upon conviction, he said I will probably still continue to be reluctant to impose jail time on offenses that arent violent for the reason we want to keep the pressure off the jail as far as their population is concerned.
Although Licking County officials are uncertain what the jail population could look like after a return to some normalcy, they agreed some things brought on by the COVID-19 pandemicwill remain.
Branstool said COVID-19 has opened a lot of eyes in the judicial system to different processes.
"It's been over a year now that we've kind of experienced this first shutdown. And we've adapted the best we've been able to, and that means we've done a lot more video conferences, video hearings when thats a possibility, Branstool said. And a lot of times that means were setting up video conferences with incarcerated peopleThe impetus for that was COVID.
A dental chair is seen in the medical wing at the Licking County Justice Center in Newark, Ohio on May 6, 2021.(Photo: Ty Wright/The Advocate)
Branstool said he thought video conferences would likely continue beyond the pandemic for things like competency and sanity hearings.
According to Stansbury, his court switched over to telephone pre-trial conferences early in the pandemic and because it's more efficient, that will likely continue. Municipal court also established three YouTube channels for the public to watch court proceedings and weddings.
"As far as the jail is concerned, we adapted when it was really rough to get anyone in there, when they had some significant concerns about COVID," Stansbury said. "We did use GPS units, strict house arrest...(for example) in lieu of putting someone in jail for three days for a drug court sanction. As far as offenses of violence are concerned, nothing has changed from pre-COVID cases. Those cases obviously take priority."
More: Licking County sees record number of accidental drug deaths in 2020
Hamann said like others, their department, including theday reporting program, began using Zoom and making video contact through their case management system, Ohio Community Supervision System during the pandemic. Looking ahead, Hamann said they're planning to keep in contact with some, such as some diversion cases, through video.
In addition to using those video programs, Hamann said their agency filed motions to revoke someone's probation quicker for community safety, noting normally they try to use other sanctioning tools before revoking probation. After they were allowed more contact, she said they increased drug testing, physical reporting and sent people to as many treatment locations that were accepting people. She noted a concern about drug overdoses.
"I think when you talk about what did we learn from this, it's better use of technology and video," Hamann said, the pandemic encouraged people to think outside the box at other options available.
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