TOLEDO, Ohio — Local health officials struck an ominous tone Wednesday when discussing the surge in COVID-19 cases and hospital patients, and the continued spread of the delta variant.
Health Commissioner Dr. Eric Zgodzinski referenced crowded hospitals in other parts of the country and warned northwest Ohio could end up in the same situation.
"It's time to brace for impact," Zgodzinski said during a news conference. "I would expect us to experience something similar, if not the same. If we see the trends in other communities, we can project what's going to happen here."
In early July, Zgodzinski said Lucas County was seeing just three new cases per day. That number is up to 60 per day, and the 14-day average stands at 50, up from 14.
With a 49.92% vaccination rate, Lucas County still has a steep climb to reach the "magical number" of 70%.
A new incentive is available to anyone who receives their first dose in the form of a $100 Kroger gift card. This is available at any Toledo-Lucas County Health Department vaccine clinic.
SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS
Zgodzinski said two possibilities he's most concerned with are children returning to school and becoming ill, and hospitals filing up with COVID-19 patients. He said both could happen locally.
"So it's important to get these kids vaccinated," he said. "As we've seen (other places), hospitals and ICUs are becoming inundated. We're hearing about field hospitals being set up. These are facts that our community could experience. We must protect our hospitals and we must protect our kids."
Officials from area hospital systems also spoke during the news conference. Dr. William Saunders, chief of service at the University of Toledo Medical Center, said the hospital is seeing many more COVID-19 patients.
"Unfortunately this population we're seeing is much younger," Saunders said. "The delta variant is twice as infectious, meaning it's easier to spread it to multiple people. We have a vaccine that helps you, our community and our hospital systems deal with this problem. It will help you and it will help us."
Dr. Jennifer Hanrahan, ProMedica infectious disease specialist, said people coming to hospitals are much sicker than they were prior to the delta variant becoming the dominant COVID-19 strain.
"This is the worst thing I've seen as an infectious disease specialist and I've been doing this for 30 years," Hanrahan said. "It should be scary to everyone. People are coming in and progressing quickly to needing a lot of oxygen. The pacing is quicker than at the beginning (of the pandemic)."
Zgodzinski said all people should consider wearing a mask whenever they go into a large crowd to slow the spread.
"We are never going to be able to stop it over the next year," he said. "We may not stop it in the next 10 years. So we have to stop as much transmission as we can."
THIRD ROUND OF SHOTS FOR IMMUNOCOMPROMISED PEOPLE
Starting Wednesday, certain immunocompromised people are eligible to receive a third shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine:
- Individuals undergoing active treatment for cancer
- Individuals who have received a solid-organ transplant and are taking immunosuppressive therapy
- Individuals who have received a CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant
- Individuals with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency
- Individuals with advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Individuals undergoing active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive
HIGH COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION LEVELS
As of Tuesday, all northwest Ohio counties are now experiencing "high" levels of community transmission according to the CDC.
Lucas County moved from substantial to high over the weekend, as did Putnam, Wood, Seneca and Wyandot counties.
Monroe and Lenawee counties in Michigan are also experiencing high transmission rates.
The CDC defines high transmission as more than 100 total new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days or over 10% of tests (NAATs) showing positive results during the past 7 days.
The CDC recommends the wearing of masks indoors, for areas with substantial or high transmission rates.
Lucas County issued an indoor mask advisory regardless of vaccination status on Aug. 10. The advisory urges everyone to wear a mask indoors and in crowded areas regardless of vaccination status until further notice.
The CDC recommends that everyone, including fully vaccinated people, wear masks in indoor public settings in communities with substantial or high transmission. This includes employers, retailers, restaurants and bars, fitness and recreational centers, libraries, governmental entities, health care facilities and other public venues.
Adding a mask indoors will help further protect those who can’t yet get the vaccine, including children under 12 and people with health conditions that prevent them from getting the vaccine, the CDC said.
To view Lucas County COVID-19 data, please visit: https://lucascountyhealth.com/coronavirusupdates/
To find a free COVID-19 vaccine near you, visit gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov or https://lucascountyhealth.com/covidvaccine/
