Several safety precautions recommended to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the holiday season are illustrated above. They include being vaccinated, wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, delaying travel if not vaccinated and staying home when sick.
(Graphic submitted)
—
Local public health officials are urging residents to take COVID-19 safety precautions as the holidays approach.
During Wednesday’s Union County Health Department Board of Health meeting, Health Commissioner Jason Orcena said the area has been experiencing a sustained “surge” of cases since October.
He said he expects the situation to become worse following holiday gatherings.
“We’re not even through… what we expect to be the worst part of the surge,” Orcena said.
Orcena said he understands that there is a “general desire to be back to normal.”
But, the fact that many people are no longer taking safety precautions is compounding a “lack of staffing” among healthcare workers, he said, which is adding to the strain on hospital systems.
“There’s a fair amount of fatigue,” he said, adding that many healthcare and public health workers are “just exhausted.”
He noted that increases in hospitalizations and deaths are “heavily associated” with the two surges in cases that occurred in late 2020 through early 2021 and currently.
He said the spike of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 or who died due to the virus was spread throughout several months during the previous surge.
Orcena said most individuals were wearing masks and many worked from home during that period, and most severe cases occurred among older individuals.
Now, he said a sharp increase in hospitalizations and deaths is occurring over a shorter time frame and within a broader age group.
He noted that, from the start of the pandemic through July 1, 2021, 246 Union County residents were hospitalized with COVID-19.
Over the “last couple months,” 168 residents have been hospitalized, Orcena said.
He added that the number of ICU beds occupied in Central Ohio hospitals is “almost exactly” what is was during the worst of last year’s surge.
Similarly, he noted that the age of individuals dying due to COVID-19 is lowering. The county recently saw its first death of a person under 40 years old.
Orcena said individuals hospitalized or who have died are “largely unvaccinated.”
He also noted that “all” cases at this point are the delta variant.
“It’s really too early to know what the omicron (variant’s) impact is going to be,” he said.
Orcena said there are some concerns among health professionals that omicron could be more transmissible, but he feels it is too soon to comment on its severity or how effective vaccines will be against it.
He said the focus remains on the current threat to the community.
“Right now, delta’s killing people and it’s here,” Orcena said.
He said he believes that safety precautions taken against delta will likely be effective in protecting oneself against the omicron variant.
The health commissioner said the number of individuals vaccinated in Union County is continuing to increase. He said UCHD vaccinates about 400 people each week, between first doses, second doses and booster shots.
Aside from UCHD’s shot clinics, Orcena noted that local pharmacies are “helping tremendously” in vaccination efforts.
“We may be crawling our way up but by God, we’re doing it,” he said.
On the other hand, he said the health department is distributing a large amount of COVID-19 test kits regularly.
“We keep distributing test kits in a mad rush,” he said.
UCHD Director of Health Promotion and Planning Shawn Sech said the health department distributes between 75 and 120 tests each day, while the Marysville Public Library, through a partnership with UCHD, distributes approximately 300 daily.
On top of that, Orcena said 1,400 test kits were distributed before the Thanksgiving holiday at a drive-thru pick-up event.
“We are light years ahead of where we were two years ago,” with testing, Orcena said.
He encouraged those who may not be comfortable with getting the vaccine to test for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings.
Orcena also shared several recommendations to curb the spread throughout festivities, aside from being vaccinated and getting tested.
He said he knows many people are “disgruntled” about masks and he would like individuals to do what is necessary to maintain their mental health. Still, Orcena said those who are willing should consider wearing a mask when in crowded places.
If the weather remains moderate, he also encouraged cracking windows to increase ventilation during gatherings.
Orcena said individuals should weigh their own risks and should stay home if sick.