COVID-19 Surge Slows In Northern Ohio; Masks, Tests Now Available
CLEVELAND — As the northern Ohio COVID-19 surge slows, government officials and health leaders are urging residents to continue taking commonsense protections to prevent spreading the virus.
"If you're unvaccinated and unmasked in indoor settings, you're asking to be exposed to omicron," said Terry Allan, the health commissioner for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. He noted that new COVID-19 cases appear to be declining because the virus has burned through so much of the population already.
The COVID-19 positivity rate over the past week was 17 percent on tests analyzed by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. That's half what the board saw at the height of the most recent surge. Cleveland-area hospitals saw positivity rates as high as 50 percent around the holidays.
While it's a positive to see cases declining, Allan added that demand for COVID-19 vaccines and boosters slowed considerably after the holidays. As the public is now more aware, COVID-19 mutates and creates new variants, and there is a possibility for future variants beyond omicron. Vaccines, Allan said, continue to be the best protection against COVID-19 and all of its variants.
"Vaccination has always been and will be the best way out of this pandemic," he said.
Masks and Tests
The White House is making available 400 million N95 surgical masks and 500 million at-home COVID-19 tests. Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish wants residents to order their masks and tests as soon as possible.
"A surgical mask is better than a cloth mask," Allan said.
Budish also urged residents to take a COVID-19 test before spending time with friends and family indoors. However, the Ohio National Guard will stop conducting mass testing at the Walker Center in downtown Cleveland on Jan. 23. Allan said demand for testing has flagged in recent weeks.
The National Guard is being shifted south as COVID-19 flare-ups begin in central and southern Ohio.
Statewide, 5,887 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. In Northern Ohio, which includes Cuyahoga County, 1,124 hospitalized people are COVID-19 positive.
Northern Ohio has seen a significant decline in the number of people hospitalized due to COIVD-19, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. In the past week, COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped 24 percent in northern Ohio. Over the past three weeks, northern Ohio COVID-19 hospitalizations are down 30 percent.
This article originally appeared on the Cleveland Patch
