May 4, 2020
Media Contact:
Scott Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County provided an update on acquired personal protective equipment (PPE) that has been purchased and donated. The County has worked with other jurisdictions to place bulk orders of PPE, accessed the strategic national stockpile, and received many donations, including supplies from Howard Community College and HOWARD County Public School System. In total the County has secured:
- 35,000 N95 masks
- 67,000 surgical masks
- 5000 face shields
- 310,000 gloves
“We have been working collaboratively over many weeks to acquire PPE for our community,” said County Executive Calvin Ball. “Because of the determination, ingenuity, and generosity of our leaders, businesses, and residents, we have not run out of PPE yet. The COVID-19 crisis is a marathon though, not a sprint, and we will continue to exhaust all options to ensure we have an adequate supply. For the foreseeable future, Howard County is still accepting PPE donations and we greatly appreciate anything our community can contribute.”
Howard County is also utilizing innovative technology like UV lights and the Battelle System to decontaminate N95 masks. The Health Department has distributed the acquired PPE to skilled nursing facilities, urgent care centers, assistant living centers, primary care practices, dentists, and more.
Howard County Government is still accepting donations of PPE from residents, neighbors, and leaders. If you have access or a supply of PPE to donate, please contact PPE@howardcountymd.gov.
Additionally, Howard County has updated the COVID-19 Dashboard to include new information on the age and race of cases. Data show that individuals ages 25-49 continue to be contracting coronavirus at the highest rate. However, the majority of deaths are of residents over the age of 65. Additionally, race data will now be made available by HCHD and will be provided weekly on an ongoing basis. For nearly 25% of the data, race is unknown.
Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services has started to deploy a cleaning and disinfecting team in the emergency room at Howard County General Hospital. When an ambulance arrives at the emergency room, the decontamination team cleans and disinfects the unit inside and out while the transport crew is transitioning the patient to the hospital staff. When the crew has completed the transfer, they return to a clean restocked unit and are able to quickly return to service to answer other calls. The decontamination team will be working from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day to ensure emergency responders have clean EMS units available to serve.
Howard County General Hospital urged county residents experiencing heart attack or stroke symptoms to call 911 to get to the hospital immediately. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Howard County General Hospital remains prepared to provide safe and timely care, which can be critical for patients experiencing heart-related events.
“We’ve seen a drop in hospital visits for heart attack and stroke symptoms, which we fear means patients may be avoiding clinical care out of concern that hospitals are unsafe and overwhelmed with COVID-19,” said cardiologist Dr. Michael E. Silverman, chair of medicine at Howard County General Hospital. “Delaying care for heart attacks and strokes puts patients at serious risk, so we urge them to pay attention to symptoms and call 911 to get to the hospital for help.”
Heart attack symptoms can include chest pain, difficulty breathing and discomfort in the chest, arms, back, neck, shoulder or jaw, while stroke symptoms can include numbness, weakness or loss of movement in the face, leg or arm—especially on one side—as well as confusion, trouble speaking or understanding and loss of balance, according to the American College of Cardiology.
Speak(easy) Howard, a campaign of The Horizon Foundation, has released tips for residents preparing to interact with the health care system. Speak(easy) Howard partnered with local health experts and community members to share six ways you can get prepared in the event you or your loved ones need to enter the health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new resource features videos from community leaders and practical tips on how you can get started. Check out tips to be prepared here.