The Delaware Public Health District is again reporting three failed factors on its COVID-19 Critical Factor Report Card, which means it recommends that everyone, including fully vaccinated individuals, continue to wear a mask in public indoor settings.
Five critical factors are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “to inform local decision-making and community guidance.” When two or more of the factors are reported as failing, the health district will recommend continuing to wear the masks.
One failed factor in the county is the positivity rate as measured by the CDC. The county’s rate is 9.39%, which is greater than the 8% threshold. Next, county transmission is at 238 cases per 100,000 people in a week. Lastly, cases in county public school staff and students over seven days was 249 per 100,000 people. Although both of those totals are lower than the prior week, the transmission rate and new cases each should be less than 50 per week to get a passing grade.
There are two positive factors. First, the CDC’s COVID data tracker said 67.3% of Delaware County residents have completed the vaccinations for coronavirus. Second is health system capacity, as measured by Ohio Hospital Association. In Delaware County, 14% of intensive care unit patients have COVID-19, less than the 20% that would merit a failing grade.
The health district’s COVID-19 Weekly Report said there have been 24,229 total cases of coronavirus in Delaware County, with 1,698 people placed in isolation within the last 10 days.
The DPHD issued an updated COVID-19 Booster Breakdown chart on Nov. 30. It said everyone 18 years or older who originally received the Moderna, Phizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine could choose among the three for their booster dose. It notes for those who received the Moderna and Pfizer shots originally, they can get the booster six months after the second dose. Those individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson shot originally can get the booster two months after the initial dose.
“We urge all adults to get their booster shots and to get themselves and their kids vaccinated, if they haven’t already,” said White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients after the first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was reported in the United States. President Biden and U.S. health officials are saying, “This new variant is a cause for concern, but not panic.”
Nearly 1.7 million people in the state have had the coronavirus, according to the Ohio Department of Health. There have been 86,878 people hospitalized and 26,587 deaths from COVID-19. ODH reports 182 of those deaths were from Delaware County.
