TOLEDO, Ohio — We know the delta variant is in our community, and we know numbers are going up.
Data shows the virus is spreading more quickly than it has before. A map from the CDC lists almost all of Northwest Ohio at "high" community spread.
Hancock County is the outlier - still considered "substantial," one level below "high".
The Neighborhood Health Association in Lucas County wants you to be aware.
"Testing is pretty important for the tracing we do with local health department and state officials to figure out what the spread is," Neighborhood Health Association Chief Compliance Officer Shane Douglas said.
Symptoms like fever, chill, fatigue and a cough could be any illness. NHA says if you are feeling them now, it's time to get tested for COVID, regardless of vaccination status.
"This virus and this variant is two times as easily spread than the original virus that we knew of," Douglas said.
"We got school going back, we're going to want to go to those sporting events, make sure we're protecting ourselves, our family and our community," Toledo Lucas County Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski said.
The NHA also emphasizes the importance of basic hygiene like washing your hands and covering sneezes and coughs.
Zgodzinski believes that COVID testing will become more prevalent, but there is no shortage of tests right now.