COVID-19 spreading in Ross County: What you need to know

ROSS COUNTY ― Although the COVID-19 pandemic is over, the virus remains a threat in Ohio and Ross County.

According to the Ohio Department of Health website, COVID-19 is significantly different than in 2020 due to "surveillance, testing, vaccines, treatments and a better understanding of the disease." However, the virus remains a threat to everyone, especially vulnerable populations. Here is the latest information on COVID-19.

Reported cases in Ross County

According to the Ross County Health District, cases of COVID-19 are spreading rapidly with the cold weather. Cases have steadily declined since January, falling to 24 reported cases in June. However, cases have steadily picked up since. Last month, over 400 cases were reported.

Symptoms

The Ross County Health Department said there is a misconception that COVID-19 is just like other infectious diseases such as flu. However, people with COVID-19 could be contagious for a longer time than if they had the flu. COVID-19 also been observed to have more superspreading events than the flu, meaning the virus, "Can quickly and easily spread to a lot of people and result in continual spreading among people as time progresses."

According to the Ross County Health District, typical symptoms include a sore throat, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, fever, chills, runny nose and cough. Overall, the disease is milder and harder to distinguish from the common cold or allergies. Unlike at the beginning of the pandemic, is it less common to experience a loss of taste or smell.

According to the health district, the virus is mainly concentrated in the upper respiratory tract instead of the lungs, "Which were a concern at the beginning of the pandemic with a dry cough and difficulty breathing. There are still risks of severe infection and long COVID."

Safety protocols

Preventative measures remain important, including frequent handwashing, covering your cough, getting tested for COVID-19 and seeking treatment when necessary, improving ventilation and staying up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines.

If you're exposed to COVID-19:

Wear a mask for at least 10 days. According to the CDC, you can develop COVID-19 up to 10 days after you have been exposed.

If you have symptoms, isolate immediately, get tested and stay home until you know the result. If you test negative after five days, you may end isolation.

If you test positive for COVID-19:

You must isolate for five days. After five days, as long as symptoms are improving, you may end isolation. However, through day 10 you must wear a mask in public or if you're around others.

With two sequential negative tests 48 hours apart, you may remove your mask sooner than day 10.

If you're unsure how to proceed:

Contact your doctor or the Ross County Health District at 740-779-9652.

Vaccine recommendations

Updated COVID-19 vaccinations will continue to be readily available to Ohioans, including those without insurance, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The department credits vaccines with allowing people to return to daily life.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the updated vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) which has been better formulated to better target the predominant variants currently circulating.

The CDC recommends that everyone aged six months and older get one of the updated vaccines at least two months after getting the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. Those who have recently had COVID-19 are recommended to wait 3 months before getting the vaccine.

Staying up to date with vaccines is especially important for those over the age of 60, have a serious chronic illness or are immunocompromised, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Vaccines are available in Ross County at Walmart Pharmacy, Walgreens, Kroger Pharmacy and more. Most providers require appointments. For more information on how to get the COVID-19 vaccine, visit gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov/ .

Order free COVID-19 tests

Every U.S. household may place an order to receive four free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to your home. There is a limit of one order per residential address. One order includes four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests.

To place an order, visit Covid.gov/tests . For help placing an order, call 1-800-232-0233.

Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: COVID-19 spreading in Ross County: reported cases, vaccines, symptoms