Ebel: New Year, New Variant, Same Pandemic

COVID-19 rates have surged in Fairfield County, and across Ohio, following the holidays and the rapid expansion of the Omicron variant. Case rates are at the highest level yet, with over 2,000 new cases per week.

The highly transmissible Omicron variant has continued to pose a serious threat for those who are unvaccinated and especially those with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of complications. Even vaccinated individuals and people who have had a previous COVID infection are vulnerable to infection with this variant. Vaccination remains important, as those who are fully vaccinated are much less likely to require hospitalization or end up on a ventilator than unvaccinated people.

With cases up by over 400% since Christmas, it is important to continue prevention measures until this wave has passed. These include wearing a mask when you are unable to maintain six feet away from others, especially in crowded locations, washing your hands regularly, getting your vaccination and booster, and staying home if you are sick.

The revised quarantine and isolation guidelines from the CDC allow people to return to work after five days following symptom on-set or from the date they test positive if they are asymptomatic. But the five days only applies if you are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and your symptoms are improving. Otherwise, you should continue to stay home for the full 10 days.

When you are isolated at home it is also important to avoid exposing family members by staying away from others as much as possible and wearing a well-fitting mask if you must be around others in your home.

Everyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask in public for 10 days whenever they are around others inside your home or in public. The CDC recommends staying home under quarantine for five days following exposure to COVID-19 if you are unvaccinated or have not had confirmed COVID-19 within the past 90 days.

Due to the overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases, the public health and healthcare system are unable to keep up with contact tracing and case notifications. Laboratory reports often take days to get relayed through to the health departments, and in some cases the five-day isolation has already passed.

That is why we are asking people who test positive, especially those who are not going through their healthcare provider, to follow the CDC guidelines and to let those who they have had close contact with know that they may have been exposed.

In the end, the most important thing to do right now is the same thing we tell people during flu season every year, “If you are sick, stay home."

Joe Ebel is the Fairfield County Health Commissioner

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: New Year, New Variant, Same Pandemic