Portage at medium level for COVID; New variants account for almost half of cases

Diane Smith, Record-Courier
·2 min read
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Owen Rantilla, 9, from Rootstown gets his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at NEOMED’s COVID-19 clinic for 5-11 year olds.
Owen Rantilla, 9, from Rootstown gets his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at NEOMED’s COVID-19 clinic for 5-11 year olds.

Portage County remains at the medium community level for COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as cases appear to be on the rise, health officials say.

Nearly half of all new reported COVID-19 cases in Ohio in recent weeks came from the BA.5 variant, according to state health department data. As the nation experiences an increase in COVID-19 infections, Ohio is beginning to feel the effects of the new BA.5 variant, arguably the most contagious thus far, officials said.

More: New BA.5 variant now almost half, if not more, of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio

More: What's the COVID risk level in your community? Medina, half of state is 'high'

Kent Health Commissioner Joan Seidel said Kent continues to monitor levels of COVID-19 in the city's wastewater as an indicator of community spread. The latest data, as reported on the Ohio Department of Health website, show Kent's levels as "steady."

Seidel acknowledged that some people have gone back to "business as usual," going back to gathering in person and going out even if they are sick, attributing symptoms to a summer cold or allergies. Others, she said, may not have symptoms but still test positive.

Becky Lehman, public information officer for the Portage County Health District, also noted that the new Omicron BA.5 variant is highly contagious, and accounts for nearly 46 percent of new cases, according to the state health department. People should remember basic health precautions, such as wearing a mask in public, maintaining social distance from others, and practicing good hand hygiene.

All local health departments, as well as the Portage County Health District, have home test kits available. Those who test positive should report those results to the health department in their area, but health officials say many fail to do so.

"For every case that's reported, there's probably 8 cases that are not reported," Seidel said. "But we think cases have gone unreported since the start of everything."

She said home tests are sometimes apt to produce a false negative result.

"I would trust a positive result from a home test," she said. "If it's negative, I would retest."

Both the county health district and the Kent health department offer vaccines and booster clinics, with details posted on their websites.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com. 

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage at medium level for COVID, new variants blamed