The health district hosted its weekly COVID-19 livestream update on Friday with health commissioner Charles Patterson and Kerry Lee Pedraza of the United Way of Clark, Champaign and Madison Counties.
Patterson said that the rise to a “high” community level in Clark County this week was influenced by COVID-19 positivity rates and hospital admissions.
The positivity rate as of this week was 20%, meaning roughly 1 in 5 people testing for the virus are testing positive. Cases reported to the health district do not include at-home tests where the tester does not report their results. Those who test positive with an at-home test can report their illness to the health district on its website.
Locally, the COVID-19 hospitalization rate sits at 17.3 per 100,000 people. Less than 10 in-patient cases of COVID-19 are in Clark County this week, and no COVID-19 patients are in the ICU as of Friday afternoon.
The Centers for Disease Control designations are based on the number of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the past week, new COVID hospital admissions and the percent of staffed inpatient hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients.
Residents of counties with a “high” level of transmission should stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccines, get tested if they have symptoms and wear a facemask in indoor public spaces. Additional precautions may be recommended to residents who are at high-risk for severe illness, according to the CDC.
The health district continues to administer COVID-19 vaccines at its office, with an increase in interest recently. Roughly 51.5% of the county has completed its vaccine series, according to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
As of Friday, more than 38,000 cases of the virus have been reported in Clark County since the pandemic’s start, according to ODH.
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