Summit County moves to high COVID-19 level

Emily Mills, Akron Beacon Journal
·4 min read

The COVID-19 community level for Summit County rose from "medium" to “high" from last week to this week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC data, released weekly on Thursdays, show that Stark and Wayne counties both moved from "low" to "medium," Portage County remained at "high" and Medina County remained at "medium" from last week to this week.

Cases, hospitalizations and hospital-bed usage continue to be generally on the rise in Ohio and across the country.

Health officials continue to believe case numbers are underreported as more people either don't test or take at-home tests and don’t report their positive results. Summit County Public Health Commissioner Donna Skoda has said that it’s estimated cases are likely eight times higher than what’s reported.

When Portage and Cuyahoga counties moved to "high" last week, Kent State announced that face coverings are now required indoors on the main Kent campus, the College of Podiatric Medicine, the Cleveland Foot and Ankle Clinic, and the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. Face coverings are also required indoors at Kent State’s Trumbull campus, as Trumbull County remains at a “high” level.

In “high” counties, the CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public, staying up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and getting tested if showing COVID-19 symptoms, saying that those at high risk for severe illness may want to take additional safety precautions.

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COVID-19 community levels in Northeast Ohio

The CDC community level is based on a combination of three metrics — COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents, hospital bed capacity and cases per 100,000 residents. The COVID-19 community level is determined by the higher of the new admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days.

COVID-19 community levels were calculated Thursday, Aug. 4. New COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population (seven-day total) were calculated using data from July 28-Aug. 3. New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population (seven-day total) and percentage of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (seven-day average) were calculated using data from Jul 27-Aug. 2.

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Here are details about the latest COVID community levels in Greater Akron:

• Summit County is "high," up from "medium" last week, and had 200 cases per 100,000 (up from 172.45 last week and 144.36 the week before), 11.1 new COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 (down from 12.1 last week) and 4.9% of staffed inpatient beds in use by COVID patients (slightly up from 4.6% last week).

• Portage County is "high," the same as last week, and had 224.66 cases per 100,000 (slightly down from 229.59 last week), 11.1 new COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 (down from 12.1 last week) and 4.9% of staffed inpatient beds in use by COVID patients (slightly up from 4.6% last week).

• Stark County is "medium," up from "low" last week, and had 185.91 cases per 100,000 (up from 166.48 last week), 11.7 new COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 (up from 9.9 last week) and 5.9% of staffed inpatient beds in use by COVID patients (up from 5.3% last week).

• Wayne County is "medium," up from "low" last week, and had 159.02 new cases per 100,000 (up from 136.55 last week), 11.7 new COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 (up from 9.9 last week) and 5.9% of staffed inpatient beds in use by COVID patients (up from 5.3% last week).

• Medina County's COVID-19 level is "medium,” the same as last week, and had 196.39 new cases per 100,000 (up from 176.36 last week), 11.1 new COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 (down from 12.1 last week) and 4.9% of staffed inpatient beds in use by COVID patients (slightly up from 4.6% last week).

• Cuyahoga County is "high,” the same as last week, and had 237.4 new cases per 100,000 (up from 228.08 last week), 15.1 new COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 (the same as last week) and 3.9% of staffed inpatient beds in use by COVID patients (slightly down from 4.1% last week).

Statewide, only two counties remain "low": Seneca and Hancock. Ohio's 86 other counties are "medium" or "high."

Contact Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills at emills@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter @EmilyMills818.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Summit County COVID-19 community level goes from medium to high