Increasing number of cases after the outbreak of Camp Chautauqua COVID

July 16-A serious COVID-19 outbreak occurred from a church rally at Camp Chautauqua in Miami Twp. Boy scout camp on the Woodland Trail in Preble County.

Several other summer camps in the area continue on schedule with increased hygiene and other health and safety measures.

According to Dan Saforet, spokeswoman for Dayton & Montgomery County, the recent outbreak of Camp Chautauqua has boosted the number of COVID-19 records for Ohio and Kentucky residents from 30 to 78.

Of those 78, 12 are members of the Montgomery County Church, one is a member of the Butler County Church, three are members of the Hamilton County Church, and two are Franklin County Churches. Was a member of. According to Suffoletto, these 18 people were confirmed to be unvaccinated, but no age information was available.

There is no way to tell if any of the cases had a delta mutation, but Saforet urged residents to be wary of new strains.

“The availability of Delta variants can increase the risk because they are much more contagious and can cause illness,” he said.

The Camp Chautauqua administration has done everything it can to comply with the CDC guidelines throughout this process, said Jason Hermeyer, president and CEO. In the early stages of the outbreak, there was an initial disconnect between Camp Chautauqua’s administration and public health, but the main concern was camper privacy, Hermeier said.

“They wanted all the information,” he said. “I felt that I could get the important details needed for the safety and security of those students and in fact get them faster and in a more meaningful way.”

In retrospect, Harmeier said he wished his team could streamline communication with public health.

“I got my team and the Montgomery County Health Commission from almost day one and would have really worked (with them) from the beginning,” he said. “Then I should have been able to convey the same message and speak from the same platform.”

The story continues

Hermeyer added that the work that public health has done to combat the COVID-19 epidemic is very important.

“I respect and admire what public health authorities do every day at the forefront,” he said.

Camp Chautauqua will continue to host the event and act according to state guidelines, Hermeier said.

“We want to work within what Ohio now calls wise,” Hermeier said. “There were no incidents this year until July 1. We don’t want to pollute others in a week. We move forward based on the science that results from all sorts of influences during the rally. Looking back on July. “

For the time being, the group planning to stay in Camp Chautauqua chose to have a negative COVID test in the three days leading up to their visit. This is what Harmeier and his team endorse.

“Given what we’re dealing with right now, it’s probably a good idea,” he said.

The goal of everyone involved is to learn from this experience, Hermeier said.

“The next chapter says,’How do you care for the people who deal with this?'” He said. “The important thing is that we need better collaboration. We need better communication. That’s my future effort.”

Boy Scouts At least four positive cases arose from a gathering of nearly 600 people in the outbreak of Boy Scouts of America, according to a news release from the Miami Valley Council of the United States. As a result, several upcoming camp sessions were canceled with each release.

“We have determined that these four positive cases and their potential close contact unfortunately hampered our ability to safely carry out the remaining Cub Scout resident camp sessions this camp season.” The release states.

The four people who tested positive at the time of the Preble County outbreak were confirmed by Saforet to be residents of Montgomery County. Three of the four residents were not yet old enough to be vaccinated, and the remaining individuals were vaccinated, according to Saforet. According to Suffoletto, public health has been in contact with these individuals.

Other local organizations continue to hold summer camps and rallies as scheduled on a regular basis. Washington Twp. According to Washington Twp, the Trek Center is in the middle of a 10-week summer camp program with no confirmed COVID cases. Communication director Kate Trangenstein.

According to Trangenstein, the Wreck Center has taken steps to keep the camp environment as safe as possible, including increased hygiene, reduced camp size, and restricted staff rotation.

Girl Scouts in western Ohio have also coordinated operations to prevent COVID, according to marketing and communications director Kay Ann Taylor Rutter. Participants must complete a medical examination before attending the Girl Scouts summer camp. Latter also said that measures to keep social distance and improved hygiene are being implemented.

“We took a very preventative approach to summer activities,” she said.

Public health encourages all qualified candidates to be vaccinated as soon as possible. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, unvaccinated people are advised to wear a mask in public.