SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio – Health Commissioner Donna Skoda delivered sobering news in Summit County regarding the spread of COVID-19.
Infection rates continue to significantly increase as the delta variant of the virus spreads, the commissioner said during a recent Facebook Live to Summit County Council members.
Summit County is in line with the rest of Ohio, where the delta variant makes up nearly 85% of COVID-19 infections, she said. About 98.4% of patients hospitalized for infection are unvaccinated, according to Skoda.
The average age among patients, who died from COVID-19 last year, was about 68 years old, Skoda said. The average age is now 40.
People not alarmed by the rising number of infections need to realize those numbers represent only people who have been tested, she said. Vaccinated people who get sick will likely have mild symptoms, and think they have a summer cold or allergies.
“They probably aren’t getting tested because they don’t think they’re that sick,” she said. “What we know now though is that you can spread COVID as a fully vaccinated person.”
Free COVID-19 test kits are available at all branches of the Akron-Summit County Public Library. Provided by the Ohio Department of Health, the 15-minute BinaxNOW self-tests are for use at home and include a free telehealth session provided by eMed representatives. More information is available on the library website.
Summit County’s increase in hospitalizations is also problematic, Skoda said. Health care facilities are already busy with everyday needs and with people who delayed surgery last year. They are also understaffed.
“So it’s almost a perfect storm,” she said. “We need to really make sure that we do all of the public health measures — wearing a mask, washing your hands, staying home when we’re sick, getting tested.”
Akron Children’s Hospital hasn’t yet experienced the rise in infection rates seen in children in other areas of the country, but that number could jump because this region is usually two to three weeks behind states to the southwest, she said.
“Areas like Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana are overrun in their NICUs and many children need ventilation,” Skoda said.
Children should be masked at school to prevent becoming infected or spreading the virus, but also to avoid quarantine if another child in their circle tests positive, she said.
“This is still a Class A reportable disease and we are required by law to investigate and quarantine and isolate, so if your child does not have a mask on, they are going to be subject to isolation and quarantine,” she said. “But if they were wearing a mask, regardless if they’re vaccinated or not, we will be able to work with you and not have to quarantine your child.”
Earlier this month, the health department asked residents to mask up indoors and outdoors where appropriate, even if they are vaccinated, to help curb the spread of the virus.
For people whose autoimmune systems are compromised, Summit County Public Health offers a third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, Skoda said.
Check the health department website for a list detailing who is eligible. The third shot, either Pfizer or Moderna, will be given to strengthen the immune response in case a two-dose series is insufficient, the health department said.
The move is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which said a third dose is recommended 28 days after a vaccination series is completed for immunocompromised people 12 and older who received Pfizer, and 18 and older who received Moderna.
Guidance for immunocompromised people, who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, has not yet been issued, the health department said.
One bright spot is that Summit County’s vaccine clinics are getting busier, Skoda said. They’ve risen from an average of 200 people per week to between 350-400, she said.
People have said they don’t understand why COVID-19 infection rates are increasing despite having the vaccine, she said.
“I think we all got so excited that this was so effective, that we were like, ‘Hey, we’re good. We’re good to go.’ But in reality, you’re never 100% good to go with a new virus,” she said. “You still have about half of your folks unvaccinated and it’s airborne. And it’s got a two-week incubation period. That’s pretty hard to defeat.”
Find dates and locations of vaccination clinics and pop-up sites on the health department’s website.
