Demand for COVID-19 boosters high in Clark County

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

Clark County health officials continue to see a high demand for COVID-19 boosters locally, with booster appointments booked through the first week of October.

This week, the health district administered more than 300 doses of the updated booster, which targets the two main Omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5, and the original COVID-19 strain.

The health district exhausted its supply of the Moderna bivalent booster last week. It’s unclear when the state will ship more Moderna booster doses to county health departments, but the Clark County Combined Health District has a supply of the Pfizer bivalent booster.

“The FDA and CDC says it is perfectly safe and fine to mix and match those manufacturers,” Clark County assistant health commissioner Chris Cook said during the health district’s weekly livestream.

Those interested in receiving COVID-19 vaccines should call 937-717-2439.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, roughly 51.6% of Clark County’s population has completed its vaccine series as of Friday.

A total of 224 new COVID-19 cases were reported to the health district over the last several days.

In September, the county has averaged 38 new cases per day, compared to 48 new cases per day in July and August.

This time last year, the county was just coming out of the Delta variant surge, reporting 688 cases in one week.

“Little did we know we’d have the Omicron surge... but we’re hopeful that this is a small, little blip on the radar for us here in Clark County,” Cook said.

This total does not include positive results from at-home test kits where the test-taker does not self-report to the health district.

Clark County was elevated to a “high” community level this week, as designated by the Centers for Disease Control. 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 CDC 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.

The county has seen 16 new hospitalizations due to COVID-19 over the past week, Cook said.

“What we’re seeing, definitely, is that little bump in cases in our region,” Cook said.

The county’s positivity rate this week was roughly 11%, meaning nearly one out of every 10 COVID-19 tests are coming back positive.

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