Ashtabula County red for high COVID-19 transmission

Shelley Terry, Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio
·2 min read

Aug. 29—More than half of Ohio's 88 counties — including Ashtabula — are red, or designated as having high COVID-19 transmission on the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map.

People in red counties with high transmission are advised to wear masks indoors, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms, according to the Ashtabula County Health Department.

Counties are considered to have high transmission levels when community coronavirus circulation could overwhelm local hospitals.

Local emergency rooms are seeing a spike in patients with COVID-19 symptoms, hospital officials said.

The CDC map was updated Thursday, and six northeast Ohio counties remain yellow, or designated as having medium COVID-19 transmission. Those counties are Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Portage.

People who live in yellow-designated counties, and are at risk for severe COVID-19, should ask their healthcare provider whether they should wear masks or take other precautions, according to the CDC.

Across Ohio, 32 counties are designated yellow, and 56 are classified red. None are designated green.

Counties are classified as low (green), medium (yellow) or high (red) under the CDC's system for estimating the risk of COVID-19 infection.

The CDC color-coded designations were introduced in February. In early March, all of Ohio's counties were green or yellow; none were red.

As of Friday, northern Ohio county designations:

—Ashtabula County: Red (high transmission)

—Geauga County: Yellow (medium transmission)

—Lake County: Yellow (medium transmission)

On Sunday, 28 new cases were reported in Ashtabula County overnight, according to coronavirus.ashtabulacounty.us. No information was available on Sunday for total cases.

According to the CDC, many people in the United States have some protection, or immunity, against COVID-19 due to vaccination, previous infection, or both. This immunity, combined with the availability of tests and treatments, has greatly reduced the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 for many people.

At the same time, some people — such as those who are older, are immunocompromised, have certain disabilities, or have certain underlying health conditions — continue to be at higher risk for serious illness.