Lake County COVID update: 'Err on the side of caution'

Dec. 23—While the novel coronavirus pandemic has been widely regarded as being over, locally, regionally and nationally, health officials are imploring the public to "err on the side of caution," particularly with increased cases of influenza, and record hospitalizations, being reported daily.

According to county-level transmission rate data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Northeast Ohio, as of mid-December, continues to see "low-medium to medium" COVID-19 cases, with a reported two-week incidence rate of 226.8 cases per 100,000 population.

Vaccinations

While reported cases in 2022, to date, have yielded a higher number (16,153) than in 2020 (13,762), figures are down significantly from last year (29,302).

Additionally, according to the Ohio Department of Health, vaccinations received beyond the primary series — including the third primary dose for individuals with immunocompromised conditions or any booster doses for either healthy or immunocompromised individuals — have consistently fluctuated.

However, vaccinations administered to Lake County residents, with at least one dose, total 159,880 (69.47 percent), with primary series completion at 152,072 (66.08 percent), according to the Lake County General Health District.

First boosters (91,234), second boosters (38,742) and the updated bivalent boosters, targeting the original and Omicron strain (33,833), round out the report.

The district continues to hold COVID-19 clinics at rotating locations, and the Mobile Vaccination Unit continues to be welcomed at public libraries, which "attract a consistent number of residents" requesting vaccination.

This year, however, has held its own set of challenges, as the district has worked to pivot the ever-changing and ever-growing vaccine administration algorithm for COVID-19 vaccines, noted Director of Nursing Dyan Denmeade.

Hospitalizations and deaths

Hospitalizations in Lake County this year, a reported 394 — with 40 intensive care unit admissions — are also substantially down from 2020 (566) and 2021 (684).

Since the start of the pandemic, 889 deaths have been reported among COVID-19 cases who were Lake County residents, with "known pre-existing conditions" totaling 4 percent, down from 18 percent last year and 54 percent in 2020.

For 62 deaths, the cause of death was not directly attributed to the disease, or has yet to be determined, officials noted, adding numbers have been determined to meet the vital statistics criteria outlined in the Ohio Infectious Disease Control Manual.

Individuals who do not currently meet the criteria, commonly referred to as "deaths with COVID-19," are excluded from reported statistics.

(The health district notes statistics are compiled from the Ohio Disease Reporting System, and, as of March 2, 2021, may no longer match death numbers reported on the ODH Dashboard, which currently uses data exclusively from the Electronic Death Reporting System for COVID-19 deaths.)

Continued caution, looking forward

Striving to keep efforts and awareness high, Lake County General Health District staff, continue to urge caution and "common sense," especially with holiday travel and people getting together.

"Super-spreader events" may have served as accurate descriptions of infecting others, though also deemed "political buzzwords," but LCGHD Commissioner Ron Graham asserts risk avoidance.

"It's all about using common sense," he said.

Graham also noted that Lake County, this year, ranked among the healthiest for both health outcomes and health factors in the "2022 County Health Rankings."

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — the nation's largest public health philanthropy, headquartered in New Jersey — in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, recently released its comprehensive annual report that ranks the overall health of nearly every county across all 50 states by way of a standardized methodology to measure health factors and health outcomes.

According to the study, for over a dozen years, report data have shown how a wide range of factors influence how long and how well people live, with new measures added related to income, education, family and social support, and health outcomes.

An organized list of strategies to close the wealth gap and support a fair recovery from the pandemic is also featured in the new report, officials noted.

Based on the report, health outcomes include length and quality of life measures, and health factors include health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment.

Overall, Lake County held its ranking of 12th in Ohio for health outcomes and dropped slightly from 12th in 2021 to 15th in 2022 for health factors.

According to the rankings data, Lake County improved in its number of uninsured residents, the ratio of residents to dentists, preventable hospital stays, air pollution, mammography screenings, and flu vaccinations.

"The pandemic has had a bigger impact than just mere statistics," he said. "COVID has had, as we all know, and continues to have, far-reaching effects, from labor shortages, closings, decreased numbers in business, recreation, and more. The collateral damage, absolutely, has been more than just medical....

"But we also continue to remind people, simply, about hygiene, as there are more seasonal, respiratory illnesses than COVID-19, notably the flu, which can be very harmful to young children and the elderly. Be cautious and be safe."

Monitoring COVID-19: Quick resources

Lake County's COVID-19 surveillance report is issued on the first Friday of each month.

The current iteration has a full-pandemic case trend on Page 1 and calendar year comparisons for some cases, hospitalizations and death count data.

The report also includes vaccination trend information visualized from the Ohio Department of Health's vaccination dashboard.

The latest report, released Dec. 9, can be viewed by visiting www.lcghd.org.

As comprehensive reports are issued monthly, a page on the district's website provides key points based on CDC's and ODH's weekly data updates on their respective websites.

Monthly district reports, back to mid-202, are also linked at the bottom of the page.