![]() ![]() The number of people seeking COVID-19 tests is really ramping up ahead of Christmas. “It feels as if every time we get a new shipment, it just gets more and more crazy," she said. That's been the reality for her and her co-workers at all Cuyahoga County Public Library branches for months now. oMY2LHwCA0īetween her typical library duties like placing books on hold, branch services clerk Caroline Liberatore is fielding calls about COVID-19 tests. Yesterday more than 700 kits were gone in 1.5 hours! Stock is currently out at all branches. The has been busy lately with a lot more than just books! Since the spring, has been giving branches free at-home COVID tests to distribute. Currently all branches are out of stock and it’s not clear when the next shipment will be in. The drive-up window at the Parma-Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library has been busy lately with people searching for free at-home COVID-19 tests ahead of the holidays. Supply is low and demand is high everywhere, including at the libraries that have been handing them out for free. With cases reaching record highs since the start of the pandemic and with many people eagerly planning safe family gatherings, COVID-19 testing kits are flying off of shelves. Because of the high demand for testing kits, many places are running low or are completely out of stock, not expecting to get more in until after the new year.Testing kits have been flying off the shelves as omicron continues to spread at a rapid pace as people head to their destinations for the holidays.with the highest rate of COVID-19 spread, according to federal data Cuyahoga County is among the top 5 counties in the U.S.Ohio has broken records for cases reported within 24 hours twice this week, documenting more than 12,800 cases Wednesday.Richter, a microbiologist, said it’s up to libraries and other organizations to design their quarantine procedures based on research findings. Kemper said systems know that organizations and the public are asking, “How can we mitigate risk to staff? How should patrons and visitors handle books, touchable exhibits or DVD cases?” “Scientific research is essential to answer questions about the spread of the coronavirus on materials that are ever-present in our nation’s libraries, archives and museums,” Crosby Kemper, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, said in a news release. The findings are part of the Reopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) Project, which is supported by Battelle, the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences and OCLC, a nonprofit library technology and research organization. More: DeWine encourages testing as Ohio coronavirus cases increase The virus was not detectable after one day on the hard and soft book covers and DVD cases, and couldn’t be found on the paper inside a book and on mylar jackets after three days. “We wanted to replicate a decently worst-case scenario,” Richter said. Hard and soft book covers, paper pages inside closed books, mylar book jackets and plastic DVD cases were “inoculated” with liquid droplets containing thousands of particles of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness. Will Richter, principal research scientist at Battelle, said the study built on existing research to essentially put materials through the worst that a sneezing adult or drooling toddler could do. “We will continue doing what we’re doing.” “These results really affirm that the virus is not detectable on common library materials after that time,” he said. Officials with the Columbus Metropolitan Library and other systems cheered the findings, which were released this week as part of a national project on the safe reopening of archives, libraries and museums.Ĭolumbus has already been adhering to a three-day quarantine for items based on initial recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spokesman Ben Zenitsky said Tuesday. That means items appear safe for re-circulation after a relatively brief and inexpensive 72-hour quarantine. According to research by Columbus-based Battelle, the virus that causes COVID-19 is undetectable on books and other common materials after three days. Scientists have good news for libraries and their legions of customers. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |