COVID-19 cases in Crawford County surge to 595 in weekly update

A year ago, the staff at Crawford County Public Health was busy keeping up with a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, Health Commissioner Kate Siefert recalled.

The department had limited access to vaccines for the disease, which were just rolling out — they were available only to 80-plus-year-olds and first responders. In the first 19 days of 2021, "we thought we dealt with a lot," with 412 new cases reported, she said.

But in the first 19 days of 2022, there have been 1,209 new cases reported — almost triple that number.

For the week ending Wednesday, 595 new cases were reported in her department's jurisdiction, which includes all of the county except Galion. On Jan. 14 alone, 177 cases were reported. Thirteen people were hospitalized as of Wednesday, and the death toll since the pandemic began stood at 130.

Crawford County Public Health COVID-19 update for Jan. 19, 2022 by Gere Goble on Scribd

In Crawford County, 46.39% of residents have had at least one dose of vaccine, compared to 60.9% statewide.

Unvaccinated urged to consult their doctor

"For those who are not vaccinated, we just strongly encourage them to consider why they're not vaccinated," Siefert said. She wants people to have a conversation about that decision with their doctors, to be sure it "truly is the best thing for them."

"Because that really should be a decision between them and their doctor. Choosing not to be vaccinated shouldn't be a light decision; it should have been one with serious contemplation and thought, in conjunction with their medical professionals," she said. "Because we're seeing some consequences from that. If hospitalization can be prevented, certainly that's something we all want for someone."

In the week ending Jan. 6, the 350 cases reported set a new weekly record. The following week, 380 cases were reported. The jump to 595 was not anticipated, Siefert said.

"We thought last week was a big week, but that was nothing compared with this week," she said. "When we had Friday with 177 cases, we thought like that reporting was never going to end. I don't know if this is the peak ... I don't know, because our numbers aren't going down drastically at all. I don't know. Time will tell, but this is certainly the highest."

A high number of people have required hospitalization, she said. One 62-year-old has been in the hospital since Dec. 17.

"People still need to remember, this is still very unpredictable; it affects people differently," Siefert said. "And even the ages of our hospitalizations, they're fairly young."

Most people experiencing symptoms

With the omicron variant, most people who test positive are experiencing symptoms, she said — unlike in the past, very few people are asymptomatic.

Vaccinations do "help immensely for keeping you out of the hospital," she said. "Especially if you're boosted."

People need to stay home when they're not feeling well, Siefert stressed — and encourage others to do likewise.

"It is not the time to go out when you're coughing, sneezing, and especially if you have a fever," she said. "Because even if it's not COVID, it's something — and nobody wants that, either. Nobody wants a cold, nobody wants strep throat, nobody wants the flu. We don't want any of it."

She said she understands people are tired of being told to stay home, "but there's times you are contagious."

When people are around others, social distancing is still recommended.

"There's no need to be extremely crowded when you're out shopping or running your errands," she said. "When you're indoors in crowded areas, by all means, put a mask on."

Siefert said she's aware of ongoing debate over what kind of mask people should be wearing — cloth, surgical or K-95. "Whatever mask you have is better than no mask," she said.

Cloth masks became popular in the early days of the pandemic, when surgical masks were in short supply, she said — but now, surgical masks are widely available.

"When you have something like this, it's not black and white as far as what one thing will go for preventing serious illness; it's using all of the tools available to you," she said. "We certainly want people to continue being out and about, but just with a little bit of thought put into it, so they can do it as safely as possible."

Visit federal website for free test kits

The health department is no longer receiving free COVID test kits from the state, which means they're no longer being provided to local libraries.

Those supplies were shifted to the state's schools, Siefert explained: "That was to keep kids in school. That was the whole premise of that."

Anyone can order free test kits from the federal government online at covidtests.gov. Supplies are limited to four per household.

Tests also are available at retail stores.

Record number of books mailed to young COVID patients

Through its partnership with Crawford Reads 20/Governor's Imagination Library, the health department continues to mail out books to children who have tested positive for COVID-19. On Thursday, Siefert said, her department planned to mail out more books than ever before: 47.

"When we started this, we were averaging about 10 books a week," she said.

Books are sent to children ages 12 and younger who have tested positive in the last week.

In all, 86 children younger than 18 tested positive in the last week, she said. Five were infants.

"It goes on to the importance for parents to be vaccinated, so you can't pass it on to these little ones that can't get vaccinated," she said. "While vaccination doesn't always prevent you from getting COVID, it certainly lessens the severity of it. But most importantly, it lessens the viral load that you have, making you less contagious if you do happen to have it; it's not as easy for you to spread it to others."

That's something people should keep in mind while discussing with their doctor whether to get vaccinated, Siefert added.

"It really does go a long way to not just protecting you, but protecting those surrounding you," she said.

ggoble@gannett.com

419-559-7263

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Crawford County Public Health reports 595 new COVID-19 cases in a week